Notorious Monsters
by brokenkitty95
Summary: The adventures of a few members from the Notorious Monsters FC in FFXIV. (Summary likely to change.)
1. Catnip

_**Alright, so, new thing. Don't expect this to be updated frequently. It's mostly just shenanigans that are inspired by members of the FC I'm in when I play FFXIV, thanks to a certain MagnumSTL. All of the characters are based on members from the FC, and all of the names have been doubled-checked. (Also, 'Synch' is not a spelling error. Somehow, I am called Synch. I don't understand the extra 'h,' but I appreciate it as a nickname. I think.)**_

* * *

"Sync," a voice sing-songs.

The Miqo'te raises her head from tending to her chocobo, brushing her fingers through the large bird's snowy feathers. Aether's delighted murmuring makes his throat vibrate, causing Sync to smile a bit. The chocobo is a wonderful addition to her life, but currently not the mostly pressing thing at hand. Instead, the most pressing thing – the most intriguing thing – is Wisteria Rive'alle, the newest member of the FC and one of Sync's closest friends in the group. The Au'ra is grinning mischievously, and something warns Sync to be wary.

"You're not about to tease me over Magnum again, are you?" Sync deadpans.

Wisteria shakes her head, still wearing that foolish grin. "Nope," the shorter female answers as she rocks playfully back and forth on her heels. "I just wanted to give you something. You know, as a 'thank you' for being so nice to me the first day I was here."

Sync frowns. "Wist, you don't have to. We were all nice to you. That's just how we are," she explains, "and I told you, I was passing on the kindness I was shown. It was only fair."

"Shh," Wisteria hushes. "It'll just take a second – and I _promise_ you'll like it. I found it while I was busy training with Par in Ul'dah. Well, part of it. The other part, I found at one of the shops in Gridania."

"Wist, I told you to—!"

"I know, I know! I was supposed to tell you when I was there so you could give me the tour and show me to the guild – but I didn't tell you because I didn't want to ruin the surprise. Also, I'm still not ready to try out a healer class, so."

Sync huffs and lowers her hand from Aether's throat, causing the chocobo to decide to retreat back into the stable. It's another hour before he can be trained, so Sync doesn't feel too bad over it. Instead, she feels guilty that he's been in the stable for three bouts of training, and hasn't been allowed to leave because she's been running around on quests for others without needing his immediate protection.

The Miqo'te sighs. "Okay, fine. Let me see it."

Wisteria giggles. "Are you _sure_ , Sync?" She teases.

"Give it to me, or leave, Wisteria," Sync growls. "Better yet, I think I have a quest over in Wineport I need to finish. I can just g— _ooh, what's this?_ "

The object Wisteria has put into Sync's hands is small and sticky, and shaped like a bell. Instinctively, Sync brings it up to her nose to smell it. As soon as she does, her vision swims, the world bursting into brighter colors. Everything is almost painfully bright, but it hardly matters. What matters is the tiny thing in her hands, which smells absolutely wonderful.

"It's food," Wisteria explains, "put it in your mouth."

"B-But then I won't have it," Sync replies, voice lingering close to a childish whine. "And it smells _so good_."

"Just trust me. I have more for you," the Au'ra promises.

Sync pops the thing into her mouth. Immediately, she feels her limbs relax and her body sway. The thing tastes as good as it smells, and she chews on it slowly. A purr escapes her chest as she leans against the chocobo stable. As Wisteria continues to giggle, Sync feels herself beginning to let her mind linger only on the tasty treat that the Au'ra has presented to her.

* * *

Magnum walks past the gate in front of the Notorious Monsters FC house in Mist, stopping immediately when he notices Sync laying in the chocobo stable. The Miqo'te's chocobo, Aether, is lying next to her, feathers fluffed up. Aether raises his head, warbling quietly in greeting as Magnum warily approaches.

It's unlike Sync to sleep outside of the house. Actually, it's unlike her to be anywhere near the house when she sleeps because she tends to spend as little time as possible hanging around the house. According to her, the house is nice and fun to be at with people around, but boring otherwise. Knowing that and seeing her outside, fast asleep, is concerning in the least.

"Did she pass out while she was here?" Magnum wonders aloud as he drops to a kneel next to her. "Where is everyone else to check on her?"

He shakes her shoulder, but other than a tired purr, Sync doesn't give him much of a reply. After a moment, she lets out a tiny yawn and curls into a tighter ball, subconsciously shrugging his hand off of her. In response, Aether snuggles closer to her, murmuring down at his mistress as he rests a wing over her.

Magnum gets to his feet, deciding to leave Sync be, and turns, entering the house. Inside are Fabian, Par, Star, and Wisteria. Fabian and Star are talking about upper-level dungeons, and both greet him when he enters. Par offers a wave, and Wisteria offers a grin and a flourish of her arms.

"Do you all know that Sync is passed out in the chocobo stable?" Magnum asks.

"Yes," Fabian answers.

"Well, she passed out next to it. Fabian carried her inside and set her by Aether," Star corrects, voice nonchalant as though nothing is odd about the situation and the little Miqo'te decides to do it on a regular basis.

"And no one found it concerning?" Magnum asks.

Star and Fabian both glance over in the direction of where Wisteria and Par are standing. Par, to his credit, turns his attention over to his student. Noticing that all eyes are now of her, Wisteria shifts uncomfortably on her feet, clearly bashful now. Magnum shifts his footing, crossing his arms, and then sets his gaze pointedly and expectantly on the younger Au'ra.

It only takes a moment longer for Wisteria to lose her confidence and composure. "I gave Sync this," she admits, tossing a pouch over to Magnum, who catches it and bring the pouch to his nose. It smells odd, and when he opens it to see the contents, they smell even odder.

"Par and I found out if you mix a few different fruits and some flowers found in Ul'dah, then you can make the equivalency of catnip," Wisteria admits. "It didn't smell good to me, but I gave one to Kawi earlier and she told me what they were like. So I thought, since Sync has been kind of frustrated with her quests and learning new things, she might appreciate a treat."

"You gave her catnip," Magnum echoes, shocked.

* * *

Magnum looks over in the direction of the door to the house when it opens. To his credit, he manages to bite back his laughter. Fabian and Star, however, burst out into laughter. Ina doubles-over, unable to stop. Even BK, standing over in the corner, lets out a quiet chuckle.

Sync is standing in the doorway, looking half-asleep still on her feet, and picking white chocobo feathers out of her hair and robes. "I didn't drink enough to feel this drunk," she whines. "What happened?"

"Do you even drink, Synch?" BK questions.

Sync shakes her head and then reaches up, rubbing at her eyes like a child would when woke up. "Nu-uh," she mumbles. "Alcohol is gross."

Magnum walks over and holds the pouch that Wisteria had given to him above her head. Clearly, the scent of the pouch alone is enough to catch her attention. Her ears flit forward, alert, and her tail goes straight. Her pupils shrink down to tiny slits. Sync gets to her toes, reaching up for the pouch as Magnum continues to pull it out of her reach.

"Gimme," she whines, "I want it."

"I don't think so," he says, pocketing the pouch. "You'll have to take it from me, Miqo'te."

Sync crosses her arms, ears back, tail flitting angrily behind her. "Boss, tell Magnum he's mean!"

BK only chuckles at her. Fabian walks over, patting her on the head. "I think you should sleep, Sync," Fabian says. "I'll get the stuff from him and give it to you later, if you still want it."

Magnum turns to Fabian and scoffs. "Bring it, bitch."


	2. Victory Alone

_**Fun fact: Magnum got me introduced into the game, helped me train a few levels, and then pretty much joked that he was my bodyguard whenever I asked him to help me because he's majorly over-leveled for where I was originally. That was kind of the inspiration for this.**_

* * *

"I don't want help."

"You're a strong, independent Miqo'te who don't need no Au'ra?"

"Exactly."

Magnum waits and watches her walk over to where he knows is a darkened circle. He might not be able to see it like she can, but he can feel the evil, corrupted atmosphere washing off of the area like a miasma of poison. It's not quite enough to make him want to rub at the hair he knows is standing up on the back of his neck – he's too familiar with the feeling now for that to occur – but it's enough that he can feel how aware he is of where his weapon is. If Sync needs him, it will take half-a-second to draw out his sword and lunge forward to save the little conjurer.

"If you need it, though, I'm here," he offers. "Just hit it once, and—"

Sync waves her hand over her shoulder, and it's a statement to her determination that her claws are already extended. Her ears are flicked upward. Her tail is puffed up more than it already is normally. Magnum can read her better than she might think because he knows what an anxious Miqo'te looks like – and she's a text-book example of one right now.

He sees her hands twitch toward her staff as she lingers just outside of what must be the boundary of the circle. At first, he thinks she might be reconsidering taking the enemy on alone. It's only her first time; he can't really blame her. He's been helping her for hours, and it will likely be hard for her to be alone for the first time. She's barely used to her own powers and how to use them, so it's likely this will end poorly.

"If you die, I'll—" He starts.

She turns and hisses at him. "Magnum! Bout of confidence, please."

He chuckles, throwing a fist up proudly into the air. "You can do it! I believe in you."

That earns him a tiny, half-hearted smile at least. "You're a butt, you know," she teases, a well-meant bite in her tone that is more playful than angry. "Okay. I… I can do this."

"Yes, you can," he agrees. "Just remember to heal yourself when you need it. If I see you starting to stumble, I'll remind you."

 _Or I'll just hop in and save you, Kitty-Chan,_ he corrects himself silently.

Despite only knowing the Miqo'te for a short while, he won't lie to himself about how he sees her like a friend or a younger sibling. She's fun enough to tease like a little sister would be, and she bites back enough that it's extremely worth his while to do. She doesn't seem to get upset, either, when he does tease her. It's because of his closeness toward the little Miqo'te that he feels extremely protective of her and wants her to succeed. He wants her to hold her own in a fight, and to not feel like she has to have a bodyguard at all times, not that he'd mind too much if she asked for help. Sometimes, it feels like Sync needs to remember that she can.

"After this, I'll buy you the Wayward Hatchling from the woman in Gridania," he offers.

She shakes her head, drawing her weapon, and gets her stance ready. "Save your money."

"I have more than enough for it, Sync," he tells her.

"You want a nice weapon or something, though, don't you? Save up for that. Or save up to change Alcatraz's coloration to what you want it," she retorts.

Magnum shrugs. "That can wait. You want the Hatchling, and I—"

"No," she growls, charging forward.

As soon as she enters the circle, darkness rises up from the ground. It coils around the entire ring where the circle had been, and envelopes Sync and the monster. Magnum can see through it well enough because of his enhanced vision, courtesy of being an Au'ra. He watches, wringing his hands, as she practically dances around the battlefield, light on her feet after only a few hours of practice. Clearly, she's paid enough attention to avoid most of the harsher attacks that would cause her serious damage – but it's still not enough to protect her from every hit, and she seems to be understanding the trouble she's caused herself by not dodging everything.

When Sync lets out a cry of pain, he rushes forward, but stops just at the edge of the border. She casts another stone and follows it up with a heal on herself, before she whacks the creature a final time with her weapon. The monster lets out a dying whine, crumbling into nothing as soon as it falls to the ground. Sync wavers for a moment on her feet as the darkness dissipates from around her, and then she, too, starts to fall. Magnum steps forward, catching the Miqo'te against his body before she can completely collapse.

With a tiny growl of still-lingering pain, she glances up at him. Her expression is one of exhaustion. "I do good?" She mumbles.

"You do great," he compliments. "You did it."

She offers a tiny purr before her legs slip out from underneath her. This time, Magnum reaches down, catching her underneath her knees with one arm and behind her back with the other. She's conscious and breathing, but clearly in no state to be walking. Despite being one of the normal conjurers who draw energy from nature, Sync isn't yet familiar enough with her abilities to real master keeping enough of that energy within herself to steady after a fight. Hopefully, in time, it will be something she'll learn.

"So, am I carrying you now?" He jokes.

"Hashtag Blame Dec," she says back to him.

He smiles and stands still, focusing on the FC home back in Mist. He'll drop her off and ask one of the others to keep an eye on her to make sure she takes it easy. He's sure someone would buy her food and find her a nice, quiet place to take a nap. At the very least, no one will be able to tease him about letting her overwork herself.


	3. A Groan-worthy Experience

_**So I sort of… changed what we talked about Magnum… because it felt less awkward.**_

* * *

Magnum groans.

Magnum _groans_.

Why?

Why are they _doing this_ to him?

"Let's run a dungeon, Magnum, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah, bro, let's do it."

That's what they said. That was how they led him into this… this _false sense of security_! They promised him a dungeon run – hopefully not Toto-Rak – and then they do _this_ to him. Of all things to do to him, they choose _this_!

Magnum is trying his hardest not to give himself a concussion while, at the same time, all but slamming his head into the wall. He can't exactly _leave them_ because they're in the same group and – thank you, The Twelve – their voices just ring out in his damn head no matter _how far he gets from them_. He could probably cut his ties with them, but they might not be so grateful and invite him back in to their party when they really do want to run the dungeon.

For now, he has to deal with their _torture._

 _Fashion discussions._

"Ooh, that's very pretty," Sync is saying while Yuki shows off the different clothes that are available from the images posted on the market board. Magnum has only known Sync for a few weeks, but already he knows that she adores cute things – and _why_ does the little Miqo'te have to like 'pretty' clothes, too? He's half-tempted to believe that this is just Yuki and Sync tormenting him.

"I can make it for you," Yuki offers. "I'd probably suggest dying it lavender or pink, though. The blue is nice, but it doesn't really look as good as those two."

"I'll have to try that," Sync agrees. "But, Yuki, I can't ask you to make it for me."

"Pay for the materials, then, if you feel so bad," the Au'ra suggests. "Here. Let me buy the stuff, and I'll tell you how much it costs."

Magnum glances over it time to see Sync's ears fall back and her tail coil uncomfortably around her leg. "Yuki," the Miqo'te mumbles regrettably. "You don't have to."

Yuki just sends her a confident smile. "Hey. I'm your mentor, remember? It's my job."

When Sync seems to perk up a bit, a tiny smile crosses Magnum's face. Despite his hatred for the conversation and the lack of dungeon-raiding, it's nice to see the two women in his life getting along. Yuki and Sync are two of his closest friends, and to see them hitting it off after only interacting a time or two prior is comforting. Sync seems to be fond of the idea of having Yuki as her healing mentor, and Yuki seems to have taken to Sync well enough. Since they're both varying degrees of evil, too, it might be another thing they can bond over (although, despite Sync's chagrin for the topic, Yuki is still far more evil and Sync has quite a bit to learn outside of her silly, empty threats).

Magnum's smile, however, is replaced a few moments later when Yuki actually goes through buying the stuff and sits at the spinning wheel, balancing a needle and thread on her knee for later use. He groans again, tapping his head against the FC house with a slump of his shoulders.

"BK," he groans.

The Free Company leader glances over at him. "Yes, Magnum?" He asks.

"Do you have a machinist class still?" Magnum inquires.

"Yes," BK answers.

" _Shoot me,_ " the Au'ra begs.

BK chuckles a bit, walking back around the house and inside. Magnum hangs his head. BK has officially left him to the girls' conversation. Not that killing him would have solved anything – he'd still hear it – but it would have at least muffled it for a moment. For as long as it took for someone to resurrect him, which Yuki or Sync would likely have done just out of kindness before Sync would have questioned why BK had attacked a member and Yuki would have just snickered.

"What's Magnum so upset about?" Yuki questions suddenly. "He's being awful loud over there, aren't you, bro?"

Sync laughs quietly. "He's just upset he can't rock the dress."

"I can wear it better than you," Magnum retorts.

A smile crosses his face again when he hears Sync mumble a quiet, growled, "Bitch, please, no you can't," but it starts to fade when Yuki actually challenges him to try it on.

Sync laughs. "No, no! Make him one with a corset!"

"A corset, huh? Someone have a kink?" Magnum teases.

"I have none of those, I'll have you know," Sync protests, and he can hear the shy embarrassment in her tone.

"Everyone has something," he points out. Yuki hums in agreement, although she hands something over to Sync that makes the Miqo'te let out a squeak of delight.

Sync darts off into the house, leaving Magnum to look forlornly over at Yuki. Yuki is putting away her weaving supplies, chuckling quietly as she pockets the money Sync had traded to her in exchange for the dress, hat, books, wristband, and shoes. Yuki shifts on her feet and looks over at him.

"We'll do a dungeon in a bit, bro," Yuki assures. "Just let her show off."

"If I had BK's level of crafting, she'd already have the best armor," Magnum sighs. "I don't want her to want for things."

Yuki smirks. "No wonder everyone teases you two. Do you hear yourself?"

He frowns. "Yeah, I do. But all three of us know—"

"I know, I know," she says. "You're just caring about your friend. But you two are so cute sometimes. And look—"

Yuki gestures toward the path up to the market board. BK has stopped at the bottom of the path, and Sync is in front of him, twirling around to show off the spring dress Yuki made for her. With the bonnet on and her weapon as a staff, she looks almost like Little Bo Peep. BK seems to think the clothes look nice, and praises Yuki's skills. Apparently delighted, Sync races back up the path and twirls in front of Yuki in a similar fashion.

"I dyed it lavender," Sync says.

"The lavender looks nice, huh?" Yuki agrees. "Gonna pose for us?"

Sync laughs and playfully poses, before magic surrounds her and her clothes change back to her usual cloak. "Alright! Dungeon time!"

Magnum sighs in relief. "Thank The Twelve. Which one are we doing?"

Yuki smirks. "Toto-Rak."

" _No_ ," he groans.


	4. Notice Me, Senpai

_**Should be doing my term paper and essay exam, but blame a certain paladin and ninja/summoner for tempting me. Mostly the paladin, though.**_

* * *

Sync pouts, looking over at where Magnum and Shadow are both sitting. Admittedly, she knows Magnum is just teasing since they're all waiting for the dungeon to find its last dps that they need, but it's a bit… unfair, really. Magnum is running back and forth along the path between the docks and the market board, grinning and laughing and complimenting Shadow.

"Notice me, senpai," Sync laughs.

Perhaps it's a playful, teasing gesture, but Magnum seems to be pointedly ignore her. "Shadow," he sing-songs, drawing out the Au'ra's name. "I love you, Shadow, darling!"

Shadow chuckles. "Sure you do, mate," he laughs. "That's why you've sent me a pack of candy, yeah? Oh, wait."

"Shadow," Magnum playfully whines, the grin never leaving his face.

Sync frowns. "Magnum-senpai," she calls. "Notice me!"

The men go on teasing one another with rather explicit jokes for a while longer before Sync huffs and gets up from her perch on top of the roof. "I'm even wearing revealing clothing," she mutters, teleporting away.

To her surprise, Magnum and Shadow both accept the teleportation invitation. Magnum follows behind her, while Shadow takes up the rear, following behind Magnum with a playful burst of ninja-classed excitement. Normally, Sync would be all for a bit of fun – but Magnum is distracted. Likely he's messing with her because waiting for the dungeon is boring to no end for all three of them, and both Magnum and Shadow enjoy the bromance between them. She enjoys it as well because they're extremely fun to tease about it, but…

After a moment, Magnum and Shadow stop to show off to one another the different skills they have against a few weak enemies. Sync brushes past the enemies, knowing they won't need the white mage with them in order to defeat a few little gnats or boars. To them, the enemies are child's play; to her, they're slightly more threatening, but not worth her concern since they don't pay mind to her regardless.

"Oh no," Magnum jokingly laments, "it hit me. Shadow, help."

Shadow snickers. "What's the matter? Can't handle it? Just like you can't handle me?"

"Bitch, I can handle you," the paladin retorts. "That's why I ripped into you last night."

"Ooh," Shadow says, the word rolling off of his tongue with a playfully seductive tone to it.

Sync stops walking when she finds herself standing in front of a rather large, rather angry enemy. Almost immediately, an entire horde of enemies seem to notice the Miqo'te standing in the center of them. They start to move closer to her, swiping, stinging, and slashing at the white mage who has none so accidentally wandered into their home.

"Magnum, help," Sync calls, growling a bit when she's ignored. "Magnum, I'm _dying!_ "

Neither man pays her mind, resulting in her death.

"Magnum, I'm being attacked by, like, six things!"

Nothing, except death.

" _Magnum!_ "

Once again, Sync finds herself dying to the same attackers. She'd only returned to see if the two Au'ra would notice her, but they were captivated in their games.

Sync lets out a frustrated scream and turns, throwing a spell out at the nearest enemy attacking her this time. "I even dressed up nice for this! I'm wearing literally nothing! Why don't the boys notice me? Why. Don't. They. Notice me!"

To Sync's delight, the enemies at least seem to notice the fury behind her attacks. Despite her staggering and swaying, they seem content to back away. While a white mage is little harm to a malboro, the one attacking her appears to have realized that it won't get the satisfaction of killing her a fifth time. It doesn't quite satisfy her, though, that the enemies are leaving and neither Magnum, nor Shadow, have paid her mind yet, so one offensive spell is followed by a few buffs and a heal, and slowly it turns into many of the same pattern. Sync takes in and lets out deep breaths, steadying herself on her feet when no one attacks her again.

"Oh, Kitty-Chan," Magnum calls. "You're bleeding."

"Might want to cast cure there, Sync," Shadow advises.

Sync glares over at them. " _Thanks_ ," she growls, casting cure on herself and feeling her newest injuries heal over almost instantly.

"Did you kill all of them?" Shadow inquires, eyes widening slightly.

"Why didn't you say something?" Magnum asks. "We would've come running if we saw you fighting all of them."

Sync just stares at them both for a long while, lets out a furious scream, and teleports back to Mist.

* * *

"Why won't they notice me?" Sync laments, sitting on the roof of the house back at Mist.

"I ship it," Wisteria offers, grinning. "They'd make a cute couple. ShadowSteel all the way, except for SyncSteel. SyncSteel tops it. Although, maybe SyncShadowSteel…"

"Wist, you ship everything," Sync mutters. "And I wouldn't mind joining the bromance if they'd just _notice me!_ "


	5. Siren's Song

_**Alright, writer-senpai is going to go back to writing her stuff now. I just needed to get it out of my head after three days. Enjoy.**_

* * *

"So we're doing this?"

"How did we even get this cleared? Aren't I supposed to do this alone?"

"We just want to help you get a hold of it, Kitty. You said you were having trouble finding out how exactly to get the right result."

Sync looks over at Magnum, stepping back as he tries to reach forward. Constantly, he's trying to pet her on the head. She swears he has some form of addiction to petting things, and the 'heavy petting' jokes are getting old. One day, she'll plan that intervention for he and his petting problem. This time, however, he holds up a hand cautiously.

"I just want to make sure you have your earplugs. I know how forgetful you can be," the paladin says. "Ladders, directions, and telling you things – your worst enemies."

"You'll never stop teasing me about that, will you?" Sync inquires.

Magnum snickers. "Nope."

"Let's get going," Shadow urges, walking further down the beach toward the campfire.

Sync follows behind him, walking in step with Magnum. As soon as they stop walking, Shadow starts talking to the Lalafel who'd come to meet them. Magnum looks over at Sync, gesturing to his ears. Sync obliges, putting the earplugs in and trying to pin her ears against her head as best she can without reaching up to hold them down. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Shadow start to put in his as well as their escort stops talking and the siren starts to appear.

Sync sighs a bit in relief, thankful not to hear as the siren opens her mouth. The noise is there, but it's faint in comparison to how she's been told. Such a quiet voice can't enthrall anyone. Delighted, she turns to look over at Shadow, who has a smirk across his face.

However, when Sync glances over at Magnum, she realizes that he's standing more lax than he normally does. It takes her a moment to strain her hearing enough to pick up the quiet, soft humming that he's doing. He's been through this before, so likely he knows the siren's song well enough that she brushes off the strange stance he has.

"Shadow," Magnum says, voice light.

"Oh, really, this again? Am I going to have to fend for myself?" Sync grumbles.

"I don't love you anymore," Magnum continues, as though he hadn't heard her. "Sync. I want you."

Sync's face turns a bit red. Her ears perk up suddenly, tail going stiff and straight. "O-Oh?" She asked.

"To die," the paladin finishes.

Magnum turns, swinging his sword out as he does. Sync jumps backwards, toppling over her feet as she just barely avoids the blade crossing her stomach. The white mage lets out a yelp, looking up at the Au'ra who is looking at her with empty, blank eyes while the siren's other thralls begin to step forward. The thralls are all looking toward Magnum as though he's their leader and always has been.

"Oh, fuck, mate," Shadow says. "You forgot your earplugs."

"This isn't how I wanted to be noticed," Sync admits, shoving to her feet in time to dodge out of the way.

"Think you can kite him?" Shadow asks as he darts toward the other thralls.

"Kite him?" The white mage echoes, voice up a few octaves from fear. "He's faster than me when he walks and I run. How do you expect me to _kite him_?"

Despite her words, Sync turns and runs in the opposite direction. It seems the siren knows well-enough to know that the white mage is the better target of interest over a ninja. Magnum chases after her, swinging whenever he seems to believe he's close enough – and a few times, Sync feels the sword graze across her spine and tail, leaving a thin line not worth a spell. She tosses her gaze daringly over at Shadow, but the ninja seems to be doing well enough, until a thrall catches him by surprise.

"Shadow," Sync calls, instinctively stopping to throw up a spell to mend the ninja's wounds.

As soon as she does, Shadow hollers at her and she feels Magnum's sword slice into her side, causing her to let out a loud shriek of pain. The siren doesn't seem to have access to Magnum's full, natural strength, so the damage isn't enough to kill the Miqo'te, but it is enough to cause her to fall and press a hand against her side to stop the pouring of red that tries to escape.

"Look, Sync," Magnum teases, voice tinted with the cruel enforcement of the siren. He raises the sword. "Senpai is noticing you. And it's only going to take you dying to have a chance to enjoy it."

"Sync, heal yourself," Shadow directs, running over and catching Magnum's sword with a knife.

While she uses a cure spell, Shadow and Magnum tussle next to her. After a moment, Shadow manages to slip behind Magnum and hop up onto the paladin's back, leaving the two Au'ra to wrestle. Sync stares up at the two for a moment, and then turns her attention over to the thralls, sending a stone spell at the weakest one.

"What do we do?" The white mage asks. "We need to get rid of _all_ of the thralls. Sleep won't count. They… They need to die, Shadow, and Magnum's—"

"Put him to sleep for now," Shadow advises. "It won't last long, but we can handle the others while he's out. At least a few of them."

Sync nods, turning and casting the spell. As soon as it passes from her fingertips, she watches Magnum suddenly slump and drop. Shadow steps around him, rushing toward the other thralls. After pressing her fingers against his throat, satisfied that he's only asleep, Sync gets to her feet and follows Shadow.

She tosses a stone spell in the direction of the one Shadow's fighting. "I have an idea," she admits.

"Oh?" He asks.

"Just… trust me. It'll be easier than dealing with a tank," she answers.

"Sync—"

She whirls around on the ball of her foot and kneels next to Magnum. "Don't let the siren sing again," she mumbles to herself. She reaches up and takes the earplugs out of her ears, doing a quick bit of work to restore them to new condition, and then stuffs them in Magnum's ears just as he wakes from her spell.

"Magnum," she breathes, "are you alright?"

"What happened…?" Magnum inquires.

The siren starts to sing and Sync feels herself starting to slip underneath the waves of the song. She risks a glance over her shoulder and notices Shadow is standing near the shore, awaiting what is hopefully the last round of thralls.

"Do me a favor."

"What?"

She reaches down with shaking hands, grabs his sword, and presses it into his hands as tightly as she can. When he instinctively clutches it, Sync offers him a tired smile. The siren's song is hard to ignore, but pinning her ears to her head has helped apparently to slow the process. The Miqo'te keeps her hand over his, gives him a strong a glance as she can manage, and then yanks his hands toward herself until the sword is in her abdomen.

"D-Don't… save me," she manages to say before the world goes black.

* * *

Sync groans a bit, shutting her eyes tighter. She can hear movement all around her. Someone – or multiple people – is being loud. They're either obnoxiously pacing, or they're stomping their feet. She doesn't know and doesn't care.

Until she hears a voice say, "Magnum, she's awake."

"Thank The Twelve," Magnum's voice breathes. "Fuck, Sync. Don't do that again."

"Don't be so hard on her, mate," Shadow's voice suggests. "I told you what happened already, didn't I?"

"I killed her," Magnum says.

"Would've been worse if you'd have been controlled by that siren, though. You would've gutted her and everything," the other Au'ra points out.

Sync opens her eyes reluctantly. Shadow is standing next to the door, looking over at her with a look of concern. Magnum is in the middle of the room, looking torn between coming to see her and staying away. Star is standing next to her, looking pleased to see her awake. Sync offers Star a tiny, exhausted smile, and then looks over at Magnum.

"Yay," she says weakly, "you noticed me…"

"Kitty, I—" Magnum starts.

Sync shakes her head. "I chose that. You didn't get a say. Neither did Shadow."


	6. Night on the Roof

_**Continuation of the "Siren" chapter.**_

* * *

Magnum sits atop the roof, at first just with Sync. Sync is quiet for a few moments, and he spends that time silently observing her to make sure she's alright. It's been a few days since the whole 'Siren' debacle. Enough time that, it seems, Sync has let the circumstance drift to the back of her mind. She and Shadow are back to their usual, joking selves – Sync trying teasingly to get Magnum's attention, and Shadow teasing her with how 'good' of a healer the faerie Eos is. Sync has swatted more than once at Eos in an attempt to get rid of the faerie, who she constantly reminds is less worthwhile of a healer than herself as a White Mage. Magnum chimes in just enough to have his thoughts go unnoticed by them or by others, but it's not… normal.

Normally, he would love to join in on their games and tease back when Sync laughs that Shadow is outranked by her now, as she's higher in Grand Company status than he is – but it feels wrong to tease either of them. With everything that happened, Magnum doesn't have the heart to joke as much as he would usually. The playful bites at Sync for her lack of directional skills and whatnot feel crueler than they should, and whenever he tries to help her, he nearly drops his weapon. Watching her be hurt or be attacked reminds him of her, lying cold and limp in his arms, blood pooling out from her belly as he tries desperately to keep whatever life in still in her where it belongs. He hadn't been able to switch his class; he'd been forced to race through Siren's thralls with Shadow and then retreat to Mist, cradling a dying – or dead – White Mage in his arms the entire way.

It was then that he'd realized how much smaller and weaker Sync is compared to him. He'd joked about it in the past. He'd informed her that a White Mage has horrible physical defense compared to him, and while her magical prowess might be better, the lack of defense and the "squishiness" is laughable. But looking at her then – so small and fragile in his arms, all because of him…

He turns his gaze away from her as Star climbs up onto the roof, followed later by Wisteria. He and Star exchange a knowing look before Magnum turns his glance down to the weapon resting at his side. It's the same one Sync had hurriedly run through her abdomen to prevent herself from becoming trouble for he and Shadow. The same weapon that killed her.

 _From now on, it will never hurt her again. The weapon that killed her is only going to protect her,_ he swears to himself.

"I did it," Wist cheers.

Sync smiles over at the female Au'ra. "You did," she agrees. "Good job. Magnum and I were only teasing you for, oh, ten or so minutes."

Wisteria sticks her tongue out playfully, sitting down and looking up at the sky. Magnum glances over, noting that Star has silently done the same at some point. His gaze flits back to Sync as Ina struggles to get up onto the roof for a few moments, much to Wisteria's delight.

"Sync," he starts.

"Beautiful view, huh?" She muses in return. "I love this spot. I could stay up here for hours."

"I wanted to say…" He sighs, nodding and looking at the sky. "It is. I can see why you like it."

"Watching the sunrise is the best," she adds. "It makes me miss home, though. Seeing the sunrise there… We're the first people who got to see it, you know? The world wished us a good morning before it did anyone else in all of Eorzea. It was such a pretty sunrise, too."

"I thought you weren't a morning person?" Wist teases.

Sync shakes her head. Magnum can tell by the distant look in her eyes that she's thinking of nowhere but her home. How long has it been since she's seen familiar faces? Maybe he'll have to get her there again. It might be fun to meet her parents.

"I'm not," Sync admits. "I don't wake up until late-morning. My father and sister are morning people, though." She makes a face, laughs, and then adds, "Seekers of the Sun – I'll never understand them."

Star hums. "Yourself and your mother are Keepers of the Moon?"

The Miqo'te nods. "That's right." She turns to Star and gestures at herself. "You wouldn't know it from me, honestly. My mother is a beautiful woman, though. Dark hair, dark eyes, darker skin. Because she's been with my dad for so long, she's becoming more diurnal than she is nocturnal now – but only in behavior. She still has the textbook features of a Keeper of the Moon."

Star nods and Wist giggles. "I'm sure Magnum thinks you're a very beautiful woman, too, Sync," the female Au'ra jokes. "Right, Magnum?"

Magnum chuckles a bit, noticing Sync's face go red. He knows it means very little that she's blushed at the flattery. Sync blushes at any form of compliment to herself, from anyone. She's easy to tease because of it.

"Shadow's still prettier," he chimes. "I mean, have you seen him?"

"Shadow's beautiful," Sync comments.

"SyncShadowSteel confirmed," Wist laughs.

Ina huffs quietly. "Here we go with the shipping again," he says.

"Oh, Ina, you know we're just—"

Sync falls silent halfway through her polite response, staring up at the wide bubble that has encircled everyone on the roof. Hib has announced his presence with a show of magic, entrapping the roof in some blue shield that ripples like a crystal or prism having light shone onto it. Magnum watches the shield only for a moment, silently turning his gaze to Sync as, seemingly amazed, she prods at the shield. Her touch causes waves of responding light to bounce around the shield from where her finger touches it.

"Pretty," she murmurs quietly, reaching around to hug her knees.

 _This won't be the last moment of peace you see, Sync. I won't let it be,_ he promises her silently.


	7. Campfire Night

_**There are three more in the 'Siren' arc-of-sorts. This, and two more after this. Magnum has been helping me sort through everything.**_

* * *

"So, who's ready for some _scary stories_?" Wisteria jokes, waggling her fingers in an attempt to be 'spooky' and add to the mood. No one, honestly, seems to be taking her actions for much more than a laugh, but she seems to be delighted all the same with the response as everyone crowds around the campfire – even BK has joined in for the moment of tranquility and introduction of the newest members of the Free Company.

Magnum is the only one not to join them. He stays seated on the roof, watching from above, as Sync and Shadow both find their places around the fire. Angel, one of Sync's closer friends, sidles up next to the Miqo'te with a friendly smile, playfully wrapping an arm around her shoulders in greeting. Sync chuckles, nudging him in return, and then leans a bit into his one-armed hug.

"So, who's telling the first scary story?"

Sync shakes her head. "Not me. I hate them. Listening is fine, but I'm not very creative with scary stories."

"I'll go first," Wist offers. "If no one else is offering."

"Go ahead," Star says.

"One night, on a rainy night—" Wist starts.

"Boo," Shadow says, "this is going to be like every other scary story, isn't it? Rainy, stormy night, when a bad thing happens. Turns out everyone dies."

Wist waves her hand at Shadow. "No," she protests, "it's better than that. That's so cliché!"

Magnum chuckles a bit, but his gaze stays on Sync. Angel has lowered his arm from her shoulders and is sitting a more respectable distance away from her now. They're still close, but not so much so that Magnum feels like he has to growl at Angel to move away. His fingers aren't twitching nearly as much toward his weapon as they wanted to originally.

"On a rainy, stormy night, a man was awake. He had been going about his usual routine all day, but he'd been feeling strange. Like someone was watching him. He'd brushed it off as co-workers or his family members, so he hadn't thought much of it. He'd just gone about his day like normal," Wist recited. "But he hadn't been able to sleep because the feeling was still there, so he started pacing his room, wondering what was going on.

"He went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face, but when he looked in the mirror he saw something horrible…!"

Wist suddenly pointed across the campfire, almost accusingly. "Shadow!"

She burst into a fit of giggles. Angel laughed and Shadow chuckled. Sync smiled a bit, but Magnum noted that the smile didn't quite get to her eyes. While even BK chuckled, humored by the light-hearted teasing, Sync didn't seem to find it as amusing as she normally would.

"Here's a scary story for you," Talon says, "Magnum and Sync's wedding day."

"I ship it," Yuri says, laughing.

"You ship anything," Shadow teases.

Yuri laughs, throwing a smile in Sync's direction. Sync offers her a smile back and then turns her attention over to where Magnum is sitting.

"Magnum," she sing-songs. He raises a brow. "You were the one who suggested this. Come down and join us, butt. I've saved a seat for you."

"Nah, I'm alright," he offers. "I like the roof."

She hums at him. "Well… alright, then. If you're sure," she replies.

He nods and goes on with listening to the stories, noticing how every now and then, Sync turns her gaze back to him with a concerned expression on her face.


	8. Overprotectiveness

_**Part three of the continuation to 'Siren'! This one is one we talked about prior to, but kind of fit in the 'arc' of sorts.**_

* * *

He traps her against his chest. He's only taken off his armor because it's too hard to press her against in an effort to keep her safe. He doesn't want her ribs to hurt because he's trying to protect her from herself, or rather, the state she's put herself in.

He's not sure why, but he came back after Shadow and Yuri forced him to leave, and found Sync practically staggering over her own two feet thanks to the catnip Wist had given her a while back, which Fabian had taken from him a few weeks prior. He must have returned it, but what possessed Sync to try it again is beyond him. Likely, it was because of the smell and taste. It's currently in his possession now, and it will be remaining there.

"Let's attack Ifrit," Sync begs.

"Let's not and say we didn't," Magnum says in the same teasing tone, but his arms wrap tighter around her waist as the little Miqo'te tries to squirm free of his grasp.

"No," she whines, before breaking down into a fit of giggles.

He raises a brow. "What's so funny?"

She giggles and looks up at him. " _You_ are," she answers. "Look at you, holding me like this. You're why people ship us, silly goose!"

"I'm not a goose," he tells her.

She shakes her head and smiles goofily. "No, you're not. You're an A—Au—Auuuu—"

"Au'ra," he corrects.

She nods, giggling again, and then looks down. Magnum can feel her finger pressing circles in his chest, tracing a loop over his heart. "You worry too much," she murmurs, humming quietly under her breath. Singing isn't something she does normally, so even the humming is a sign that she's completely out of her normal state of mind.

"I worry a lot," he agrees.

"You worry too, too, too much," she says, voice starting to slur. "Don't worry so much. Where am I gonna go?" She squirms tiredly and lays her head against his shoulder.

He waits until he can hear quiet, rhythmic breathing from the Miqo'te, and then looks up. Star and Fabian are standing not too far from him, with Wist close to them. Wist is laughing, likely having just entered the house, but Star and Fabian both have a look of silent concern on their faces.

"She got into the catnip again," Magnum offers, sharing another knowing look with Star.

Star tips his head a bit. Wist snickers. "Oh, Biscuits! She's sitting on your lap, practically nuzzling you. Do I hear purring?" The female Au'ra laughs. "You two are _so cute_!"

"Wist," Star says.

Wisteria turns to Star. As if noticing the odd way Star's tone sounds, Wist gives an apologetic look. "Sorry," she offers.

Fabian claps her on the shoulder. "It's alright. You wanted to learn more goldsmithing, right? BK should be around. I'll take you to see him."

"Alright," Wist agrees.

Fabian leads Wist into the workshop. Star waits a moment before moving closer to Magnum. Instinctively, Magnum draws Sync closer to him, offering a growl at the normally friendly face. Star sighs, but doesn't press the issue.

"Is she alright?" Star asks.

Magnum blinks and then nods. "She's fine. Tired. Out of it."

"Are you?"

"I'm fine, Star."

"You don't seem it."

Magnum keeps silent. "I'm _fine_ , Star."

"Then let me see her," he says.

Magnum tightens his arms. "No."

Star nods. "I see."

They both stay in silence for a moment. Magnum listens and feels Sync's breathing, finding himself relaxing and falling back to contentedness. He knows Star is harmless and that his protectiveness has come to the point over overreaching, but he doesn't want to lose her again. He doesn't want to see blood shed from her, or watch her life fade from her. Star won't hurt her, but Magnum isn't willing to take the chance.

"You blame yourself," Star says. Magnum remains silent. Star continues, "you shouldn't. She said it herself: it was her choice, not yours. Frankly, I don't think a healer or a dps would want to face a tank, and a healer is just as dangerous when used against you."


	9. Reaching an Understanding

_**The final part of the 'Siren' arc.**_

* * *

Magnum rushes back into the Free Company house, practically cursing his luck. Of course it would be his luck that Sync would manage to slip away to do a dungeon with Angel. Shadow had been keeping him distracted, and now he has to wonder if his friend had done it for the sole purpose of allowing Sync to disappear unnoticed. He lets out a frustrated growl, throwing open the door, and looking between Sync and Angel.

To his severe displeasure, Sync has blood on her pristine, white-and-red White Mage robes in places that weren't already white. She clicks her fingers, magic swirling around her, and then hands the robe over to the Free Company's mender for it to be repaired and washed. Her weapon has been set aside to be looked at as well.

"Have fun?" Magnum inquires, unable to hold back the bite in his tone when Angel smiles over at him. "Angel, you shouldn't go inviting just a White Mage to a dungeon. If you would've wanted a tank, I would've come along."

"We were fine, Magnum," Sync scolds, looking over at him. "It wasn't Angel's idea anyway. It was mine. I wanted to run a dungeon with him to test my new ability."

"You got _hurt_ ," the Au'ra growls.

"Of course, I did! It's a dungeon," she confirms.

Magnum glares over at Angel. Once again, to his credit, Angel seems to recognize that leaving the room is a smart idea. The scholar quickly excuses himself with a friendly smile in Sync's direction, and then he darts out of the room.

"I'm allowed to run dungeons, you know," Sync says. "I don't need your permission."

"I didn't say you did," he growls. "I just like to be asked. I like to come along. Good practice. Besides, you like hearing me tell you that you've done good, don't you?"

Sync huffs, crossing her arms. "I don't need to hear it," she says. "I like to, but I don't need to."

Magnum doesn't say anything, and instead brushes past her, paying the mender on her behalf. He hears her let out a growl and a snap directed at him, but he ignores it. It's not too much money to pay for her robes and weapon to be repaired, but it's still money out of his pocket. He's not too overjoyed to be spending out, but Sync seems angrier about it.

As soon as the weapon and robes are finished, he snatches them up off of the table and stores them in the company chest, blocking it from her when she tries to open it.

"Magnum," she snaps, "move! Let me at my stuff!"

"No," he says.

" _Magnum!_ "

"No."

"This isn't funny anymore. Let me get to my stuff. I don't know what's been wrong with you recently or what this overprotective spree is, but—"

"I don't want to lose you again," he snarls, grabbing her by the shoulders. Sync falls silent, staring up at him with wide eyes. Maybe he's clutching her arms a bit too tightly, but she doesn't seem to be recoiling in pain or trying to get away from him if she's in any pain.

He feels his heart jump, his nerves going alight because of the fear of saying the words and being judged for saying them. He wants nothing more than to run and hide, so afraid she'll laugh or say something about him being foolish.

When her gaze softens, he knows she won't. "Magnum," she breathes, laughing quietly and half-heartedly. He can see her eyes misting over. "Magnum, I'm not going anywhere. I'm here. I'm—"

She reaches up with both hands, pressing her palms against either side of his face. "I'm right here."

"I know," he mutters.

She lowers her hands, grabbing one of his from off of her shoulder. When she sets his hand over her chest, he wants to pull it away and laugh it off like she's just being a perverse Miqo'te, but he realizes the meaning. She's placed his hand directly over her heart. He can feel the organ beating underneath her skin and ribs, just lightly enough that it's there. Proof she's alive and well.

"Alive, see?" She asks, letting go of his hand.

He lets his hand rest there just long enough to feel another beat before he lowers it. "Yeah," he agrees. He quietly chuckles. "Were you hoping someone would come in and see me groping you?"

She laughs. He realizes he hasn't heard her genuinely laugh for a while, and he finds himself smiling at her because of how comforting it is to hear one of his best friends so happy again. "I mean, would that have been a problem?" She teases in return.

He laughs and she smiles at him, before her smile turns softer. "I meant it, though. I'm not going anywhere," she promises. "I don't need you being overprotective, but… I don't mind the protectiveness to a degree. I know it shook you. I've known since I saw you torn between running to me and staying away in Star's room when I first woke after the Siren thing. And then the roof, and the campfire, and—well, I've just known."

"Did I worry you?"

"Yes. You scared me."

"I'm sorry."

Sync shakes her head and smiles at him. "Don't be. You might have to apologize to poor Angel, though."


	10. Making an Entrance

**_Hey, guys! Kay, here, and—wait… Bhuna, what are y-!*nudged aside*_**

 ** _Hey! Kitsune here with a slight change in writing pace! Most of you should know that I play FFXIV and I've recently discovered that a lot more of my friends have gotten into it as well. On top, a new friend of mine had a story of one-shots with things happening in her FC and I've asked to add a little bit of a contribution._**

 ** _(You can find Kitsune/Bhuna/Yuri at one of the two accounts of Lambhuna or Golden Alpha Kitsune. He's well-worth a look at, guys. Wonderful fox. Writing you all three one-shots while I hang out. This and the next two are his wonderful introduction to the sexy BAMF that is Yurina. Expect to see more chapters by the fox whenever he'd like to write them. It's always a pleasure to have co-authors. Enjoy, lovelies.)_**

* * *

"Geez, what's a Miqo'te gotta do around here for a damn drink?"

She collapsed into the booth over the furthest corner of this quaint little restaurant she had found around ten minutes ago; the aroma assaulting her senses and causing a cute rumble to emit from her. In her defence, she had not long stepped off the airship; having called in a favour from her sister's boyfriend's cousin's friend to get her here by using his own airship. She would miss the two of them but her sister was adamant that she would go do what she wanted to do. A promise to go back from time to time to visit? Of course, that goes without saying!

Shaking her head away from the thought, she quickly glanced around the place. It wasn't overly fancy but it had it's own beauty, nevertheless. The walls were a lovely shade of cream, decorated with a soft red (that almost looked pinkish) finishing the design as it took it's place on the lower halves of the walls. She admired the effort made into the furniture around the place; having known from experience that trying to make intricate designs with rosewood, of all things, was the difference between a carpenter and a damn good one. There were a few clusters of customers grouped here and there; animatedly chatting with one another, eating or simply enjoying the company they were with and the vibe the place gave off.

It was a soothing vibe. Homely, almost.

Shifting herself so she sank into the padded corner she had found vacant, she languidly picked up the menu in front of her and browsed through the menu for something to nibble on while waiting for her ' _escort_ '. That thought made her giggle for a few seconds, leaving a mesmerizing smile on her face that earned the attention of some of the males there. She noted a waitress finally make her way towards her; tearing her gaze away from the menu and at the playful eyes of the Miqo'te in front of her. Her luscious blonde hair tied into pigtails, framing her tanned face and facial markings, while enhancing the odd-blue and turquoise eyes she had. _'Seeker of the Sun, I'd assume. Those eyes would be a weapon if used correctly, probably on me as well if she tried hard enough...'_

"Good afternoon, sister! What would you like today?" she smiled brightly, knowing she was referring to the fact that she was a Seeker as well. She couldn't help the grin appear on her face, noting her tail swing happily behind her.

"Afternoon to you as well, dearie~!" she winked playfully in a rather sultry voice. "I'd hazard a guess that _you're_ not available, eh?" Fair play to the girl, she blushed a pretty red but laughed nonetheless. Coming down off her mirth-filled high, she winked in return.

"If I wasn't taken, I'd have no objections. I'm sure I could... _persuade_ him into seeing things my way, though." she purred throatily, sending shivers up the spine of the asker.

"Damn!" she replied, a snap of her fingers in defeat earning another melodious giggle. "You get a-working on that then, dear, or I'll prematurely arrange it for us!" she chuckled, puckering her lips and blowing her a kiss before calming back down. Well as I'm new to this _gorgeous_ establishment, what would you suggest for me?" she asked.

The waiter paused for a moment, tapping her chin while looking at the woman in front of her. She had a few choices but she always did better with a few questions. She turned her attention down to her as she asked her questions;

"Favourite colour?"

"Harlequin Purple. Can't explain why but I've always loved the colour."

"Nameday?"

"Sixth day of the First Astral Moon."

"Guardian?"

"Oschon the Wanderer. Fitting, really."

"Your main class?"

The sitting miqo'te looked puzzled for a second before deciding to tease her back. "And what makes you think I'm one of the adventuring types, hmm?" she purred. "I could simply be a passer-by that had a healthy appetite that need sating." she explained. The waitress giggled again before shaking her head playfully in response.

"You don't work here for long if you can't tell the differences in customers." she replied cheerfully. "You have the look that tells me that you could share enough stories to make even the hardiest of pirates admire your tenacity! You're movements are refined; there's no wasted movements in _anything_ you do, and you have a switch that goes from relaxed to sharply aware. That doesn't come by unless you trained in the art of combat for a long time, dear."

The two paused for a few moments before the redhead of the pair burst into laughter at the shrewdness and awareness that this young woman had been blessed with. "Very astute of you!" she laughed mirthfully. "Indeed, I most likely can. I'll indulge you that tidbit of information as a job well done in sussing me out; Monk would be my main class." she smiled.

"Ooooh! A Job Class! You must be a pretty good fighter then, sister!" the blonde complimented. "I know! It's just for today only but we've recently had a batch of Black Truffles imported from the Shroud. It may be a little costly but we can make you a risotto of it, if you'd like!"

"My goodness!" she replied, slightly awed on finding a restaurant that sold the heavenly meal, "I never would've guessed you'd find that in a restaurant. I don't mind the cost, dearie. I'll take three orders of it then and I'll have an Antelope steak, medium-rare, a pot of Chamomile Tea and a pitcher of Pineapple Juice to finish." she ordered, noting the slightly agape jaw of the waitress. "I work the calories off. Monk is a pretty physically-demanding class, you know?" she winked playfully, snapping the blonde from her stupor. "I used to make risottos all the time myself and for my friends back home whenever we went on a pretty dangerous mission."

"O-Of course, miss! That'll come to a total of eight-thousand, seven-hundred and nine gil." she totalled up, finding the gil already counted for her, lying on the table. She was about to pick it up when a notification appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened; a friend request?

"You've got spunk, a load of hidden potential and a lovely personality. I wouldn't mind meeting you off-duty and sharing one of those tales with you and your other half over some friendly drinks sometime... Rey'la U'lori." she smiled, winking playfully once more. She was pleased when the cute waitress pressed on 'Accept' and was immediately added to her contacts.

"I shall have to make a reminder of it and book it off. Who knows? Maybe I can ask for lessons for a class or two... Yurina K'nerias." she winked back playfully. Yuri smiled as she pulled out another note and placed it on the table, separate from the pile of coins. Rey'la already knew it was a tip but shocked to find a two-thousand note with her name on it. She simply shook her head and took it; already placing Yurina on her good-list. "Order will be a little while cause of the order size..."

Yurina simply waved it off dismissively. "Take your time, dearie! I'm waiting for my ' _escort_ ' to arrive anyway." she giggled, earning one in kind. Watching the slightly seductive sway in the blonde's hips as she walked away, Yurina whistled appreciatively and made her all the more determined to have some _fun_ with her in the near future. _'Well. Couple of drinks, a little bit of flirting and I'd probably be finding myself in a threesome with her husband. Two hot miqo'te? Who wouldn't want a piece of that?'_ she inwardly monologued, smirking slightly. _'Definitely a squealer. Mhmmm...'_ she smiled as she continued reading the menu for future note, allowing her thoughts to continue their trail of thought.

"Well! What's a pretty Miqo'te doing here all by her lonesome?"

She looked up at the newcomer and, while not showing it, was mildly unimpressed. She had nothing against any of the races, she practically had adopted family who were a mix of Lalafell, Roegadyn, Elezen, Hume, Miqo'te, Au Ra... you name it. She, however, couldn't stand arrogant pricks and this Elezen fella was practically _drenched_ in arrogance! _'One of the posh snob elitists, I'd hazard a guess. Used to getting what he wants and throwing a pissy-fit when he doesn't.'_ she thought inwardly. Deciding to humour him, she put on a dazzling grin, allowing the menu to hide the view down her cleavage. She smirked seeing the slight frown of that action.

"Me? I'm just waiting here for a friend of mine. I'm not quite sure what he looks like but he said _'I'd know him if I saw him.'_ " she politely answered. She watched him smirk as he took the seat next to her and bells began ringing in her head as she quietly reached for her weapon. She left in a hurry so she only managed to grab four of her pre-made sets and stuffed the rest with the rest of her luggage.

" _What a surprise!_ I got told that I was supposed to be meeting someone who was coming from a fair ways-away!" he replied with a hint of shock in his eyes. Not a bad actor, she admitted, but still a good-fire way to get abducted and then forced to a life of servitude and prostitution. She had seen it happen so many times before and she'd be damned if it happened to her. "In fact... I think you look like the person we're looking for."

She leaned away slightly the moment his face was in front of hers; that glint still remaining in his eyes. Her ears twitched slightly, feeling a presence behind her but not knowing if it was friend or foe. Thankfully, she noted the tip of a very sharp sword poised at the softside of his neck. Silently thanking the Twelve, she heard a voice she had missed for so long.

 _"I suggest you leave her alone."_

The two figures turned around to notice a _behemoth_ of an Au Ra standing there, glaring at the Elezen as he 'tch'd' and got up from his seat. She mentally took a note of his gear and shook her head slightly but was impressed nonetheless on how imposing he looked. _'A mix of Ironworks and Mythrite, I would guess. Little bit too much parry as he has the shield to block, anyway, but not bad otherwise. Need to work on some glamour prisms for him as well.'_

"And _who_ do you think _you_ are!?" the Elezen snarled into his face. The Au Ra didn't let up on his weapon as he turned his gaze to the Miqo'te still sitting down and simply mentioning a phrase the two of them knew well:

"Boobs."

The Elezen stood there confused by the vulgarity of the Au Ra in front of him but was shocked to find the Miqo'te smile brightly as she made his way to stand at his side. He was more confused when she gave him a quick one-armed hug before turning back to the bewildered Elezen.

" _This_ _i_ s the person I was waiting for. Now..." she trailed off as she pulled out her Jet-Black _'Augmented, thank you!'_ Ironworks Magitek Repeater and aimed it straight at his face, "I suggest you stop your Twelve-damned _awful_ attempt of kidnapping me for your sick perverted pleasures and politely _fuck off_ before I aim a little lower and end your family line here and now." she smirked daringly as she aimed at his crotch, releasing the safety catch and shivering at the noise of said gun whirring to life.

"W-Wha...? F-Fuck you, you _bitch_!" he growled threateningly. "Do you know who I _am_ _!?_ "

She, for the briefest of moments, thanked the Twelve for giving her this golden opportunity to run this phrase for the first time ever in conversation. "This is not a game of; _'Who the Fuck are You!'_ First off; no thank you, I have standards. Secondly, I'm a cat. Not a dog. Get your facts straight before you find yourself used haphazardly as a chew-toy. Oh! My bad! You've probably got nothing down there worth _chewing_ on." she smirked. The hisses from the audience made her smile inwardly; making a note that he was a regular here that none of them liked. _'Likely got a group with him as well so expect some shit later down the line.'_

"Ouch. Burn." the Au Ra snickered as he lowered his sword and turned to face her. "It's been a while, Yuri." he smiled. She nodded to him with a smile on her face, not taking her eyes off the Elezen in front of her.

"Indeed it has, Mag. Indeed it has. She not with you?" she asked him, wondering where his other-half is.

"She's... in Aurum." he replied. For a split second, everyone within earshot sent a prayer to the Twelve for her having to withstand that _hell_. "Levelling Roulette."

"I feel sorry for her. Not an easy dungeon for a healer of all things. Those Bad Breath attacks leaves you with every status under the sun and is a bugger to cure them in time." Yuri nodded, making a note to check her over once she returns. She turns back to find the Elezen still standing there with a sour look on his face. "Didn't you get the hint already?" she asked rhetorically. _"Fuck off and leave me alone!"_ she snarled. She flipped her gun around and smacked his forehead with the butt of her weapon, sending him straight to the floor unconscious. A cheer rose up from the action and Yuri had the decency to blush in response. Taking her seat again, with Magnum sitting across from her, she idly noted the same waitress come back with a large platter of food and a seductive gleam in her eyes...

Times were good, indeed.


	11. Storytime

"... since then, I swear we must have broke him mentally as he was never the same since then. Then again, healing three tanks during a run of Stone Vigil would do that to a person." Yuri finished off with a giggle before drinking another cup of tea. She had began regaling the little restaurant with some of her tales and had found herself the centre of a large crowd who had all decided to listen to her stories and share a few laughs with her. She was honoured that people were buying drinks for her after seeing her demolish the food with little difficulty. The laughter she won in response made the crazier runs like that all the more worth it.

"It still doesn't beat the time we ran Neverreap with nothing but four tanks; two Warriors, a Paladin and a Dark Knight. I was one of the warriors but my right boot broke mid-run so I eventually held it together with a bit of string, some scale glue, and many safety pins. We finished it without dying and it was hilarious that my broken boot was what did the boss in, in the end. Straight between the eyes and out for the count." she laughed, earning one in response. "Damn Paladin was cursing us all by casting Clemency on us all the time."

"That's simply amazing!" Rey'la awed, sitting at the table near where she was. Yuri was shocked that even the chef paused in his work to listen to the stories, finding it admirable that she was so interesting to listen to. "Do you have any more stories like that?" the blonde Miqo'te asked, earning a large response from the crowd who wanted more. Magnum stood off to the side, inwardly impressed with how skilled his friend was in fighting and crafting aside. He knew she was a 'Jill-Of-All-Trades' but seeing her credentials were much more impressive.

"Lemme see..." Yuri trailed off, thinking on one of the more sombre memory she had. "I think I have one for you all." she trailed off before turning to the chef. "Could you be a dear and pour me some of the hard stuff for this one?" she politely asked, finding a flagon of alcohol in front of her before she finished the sentence. With a tankful nod, she took the drink; savouring the warm honey-taste go down the back of her throat.

"Back where I came from, I was in an FC that went by the name of Radiant Garden. It started out as a pretty friendly FC but as soon as more fights were made available to us, they decided to get a group together to try and crack it as a team." she paused, briefly remembering her time there. "Well... one of the fights we ended up doing was down into the core of the world; in the depths of the Coils of Bahamut, itself." she paused, letting the shocked gasps settle down. "We were a good group. One of the tanks had taken a spinal injury a while back and would lock up on times. Nonetheless, we got pretty far. The main fight we had trouble with was the final fight; against Bahamut himself. Well. Not in physical form but his attacks were as real as his existence was."

"Wait!" a voice called out from the crowd, "You mean the same Bahamut that laid waste to our lands during the Sixth Astral Era? The one who killed Louisoix?" he asked. Yuri gave them a solemn nod as she took another swig of her drink.

"The very same one." she confirmed, taking note that Magnum had also gotten interested in the tale. "Before all the new areas were finally made available to us, as well as the new skills, I was the monk of the group. A combination of upgraded Ironworks Gear, a few drops I won through the final three fights before we faced the dragon primal, himself. I even went through the journey to get myself a Zeta." she smiled, pulling out a replica of her old weapon for everyone to admire. "It's a replica as I had decided to relinquish the originals for my new relic weapon which I'm still working on."

"Anyway, the leader of our group told us that while we were still working on the final clear; we were allowed to go out with other groups and practice the fights." she stated, shifting herself on the stool she was sitting on. "We did that. Our one healer, Lumina Skye, was a White Mage with some serious healing power. She was the first one of our group to get the clear on the bastard. Our ninja, Zyra Zephyr, was next. We found later that he paid a group to help him clear it and we kicked him out of the static for it. We earn our keep with our prowess, not our money." Yuri explained, earning appreciative nods.

"Some old friends of mine, back when I was running an FC of my own, put up posters around Ul'Dah that they were looking to head out later that evening and that their usual monk was out of action for a while. Baby girl, I think it was in the end. Cute little thing as well; her mother's eyes and her father's ears and tail." she smiled. "Of course, I needed the practice so I got in touch with them and they agreed. I told them I didn't clear the fight but they took me anyway... and on the second try, I cleared it myself." she smiled, earning a round of applause. "Thank you."

"Well. News passed around quickly that I was the third to clear it, yet I was the one who received the worst reception from it. The leader of our static, Idhakya Qhulu, had made a massive deal out of it because I had cleared it. I then found out why she was so hostile to us; she was jealous that I had finally achieved something that she couldn't and she was bitter for it." she snorted. "We had the FC leader in our group but he was too absorbed in his own world that he shirked his duties to her. I'm a nice person and I am incredibly patient. Magnum can vouch for me on that." Yuri pointed over to the Au Ra in the corner, leaning on the wall, who simply nodded in agreement.

"I do not like people who stereotype me and I _detest_ people who slander my fighting skills or my loyalty to my friends. I grabbed my insignia and I threw it at her feet and I walked away from the FC and the group in one go." she admitted, earning a few cheers from her actions. "Two months later, I get a message from her saying she cleared it and that she apologizes for her actions. I laughed and gave a rather cold response back; _'It took you long enough, don't you think? You even cleared it at level sixty, how adorable! Hope you choke on your drops and keep bending over for Jin so you can keep taking it like a good little girl.'_ " she laughed slightly bitterly.

"Well, it was no skin off my bones in the end. She made her own bed so she can lie in it for all I care. But the absolute kicker came in around five months ago when I saw her again. She used a Fantasia potion and changed herself to an Au Ra and shortened her name. Some of the other members in the FC saw what happened with our argument and I had warned her; if she kept acting like that, she'd slowly lose her respect and her members. She decided to bad-mouth me publicly out of desperation but she didn't expect who was listening into the conversation; the same static members we ran with all that time ago. With a couple of additions, they decided there and then to reply back the way I expected them to."

"What happened then, Yuri?" Rey'la asked, enthralled in the tale. "What did they say?"

"They told her they lost all respect for her and the FC and they all threw their insignia back to her and quit there and then. They turned to me, all in front of her, and asked me if they could join the new FC I was a part of. I had spare insignia on me so I said sure. I was high enough of a rank to accept applications anyway so I did just that. We gained two tanks, a healer-come-omnicrafter, a bard that could keep up with my monk class, the healer's father and one of the tank's husband. All in all, we jumped up in prestige and rank as we were well-known throughout Lamia and we became the FC everyone aspired to join." she grinned at the shocked looks on all their faces as she took another moment to savour the sweet taste of her drink.

"Last I heard, we just hit the two-hundred member mark and there is, at least, forty of us active at any time. They were sad to see me go but they all knew there was nothing for me there and that I was growing stagnant in my abilities." she explained, allowing a soft smile to appear on her face as her tail swung from side to side behind her. "They all gave me their blessings, had someone buy my house off me for a good five million and called in a favour to drop me here in Sargatanas to meet up with some buddies of mine and settle down. Then I ended up here and the rest, you all know." she finished, downing the rest of her pint and slamming it down on the table.

The cheer that erupted from her tale nearly moved her to tears; seeing that a group of civilians giving her such a warm reception to her was simply spellbinding and made a stray tear fall down her cheek. Magnum, still in the back, felt like Yuri had gone up in his books even further... if such a thing was possible.

"Well, I best make a move and get settled in here. I'll make sure to make this spot a regular for me and I'll share some more stories with y'all." she grinned as she adjusted her gun holder and her side-pack, earning another chorus of cheers. Walking past the crowd and making her way to Magnum, she nods her head. Everyone watched the two of them leave side by side, knowing that they would be making waves here in no time.

"Well damn! All the more reason to persuade my _dearest_..." Rey'la commented off-handedly, licking her lips at the prospect of tapping that fine piece of tail.


	12. Don't Mess with a Monk

"So where are we heading, exactly?" Yuri asked her companion as the two of them stepped down from the platform surrounding the aetheryte at Limsa Lominsa. "I thought you'd be taking me straight to the FC you're currently in." she asked, following her silent companion. Getting frustrated by her lack of response she decided to walk past him and block his path.

"Move, Yuri."

"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on, _Steel_." she replied defiantly. "Don't even think of forcing me because I _will_ own your ass if I switch to _my_ tank class, and you damn well _know_ _it!_ " she growled, making the Au Ra pause for a few moments before sighing.

"I need to see someone about an... _order_." he replied cryptically. One of her eyebrows rose up in surprise.

"An order?" she asked, confirming what he said.

"Yeah."

"What order?" she asked narrowing her eyes at him slightly. "It's not like you to splash your money on anyone and everyone. So either it's a favour to a friend of yours or it's for..." she trailed off, eyes widening slightly as the pieces began clicking in her head. Her head snapped to him, noting he was looking away from her. "You haven't..." she trailed off, earning no response. "You're finally thinking about it!?" she asked, pointing a finger at him.

"I... yeah." he confessed. "I did the unthinkable, Yuri." he spoke, the guilt thick in his voice. "I... we were running Pharos-" he began explaining before he felt her hand clamp over his mouth.

"No need to explain. I heard it from her and she doesn't hold it against you, teme." she smirked, noting the shock in his eyes. "I've been in touch with her for a few months now, trying to arrange everything for the move. Actually, while we're here..." she turned around, looking for something. Having found it, she turned back to Magnum and handed him a sack of gil. "You better buy a bouquet for her if you're gonna go ahead with it. Get me the ingredients for a Valentione's Chocolate cake and I'll make the best damn cake she'd have ever tasted." she ordered before running over to the retainer manager.

"Excuse me, miss!" she called out, earning the attention of the female Elezen behind the counter. She was non-descript; short-cropped black hair, grey eyes and a small mouth that twitched up in amusement. The retainer manager, in turn, made a quick note of the adventurer coming to her; she was tall for her race, Seeker she believed, and well-pronounced in the bust area. She idly noted the white highlights in her red hair, tied back into a ponytail that left two bangs to frame her tanned face; held in place with the sunglasses that rested on her crown. She had to admit the slightly-off eyes worked well in her favour; a nice combination of light vermilion and rich amber did well for her. She glanced down to find her walking around in a simple black hempen top that left her arms and her back uncovered, finished off with a pair of dark demin shorts and a pair of sandals.

"Good morning, madam. How may I assist you today?" she smiled politely.

"Morning!" Yuri replied with a grin. "Well, I've recently moved over here from over Lamia-way and I was wondering if my retainers have arrived yet? I know there was a lot of things to move. Ronin was a dear with offering to carry all my gear." she explained, giggling. The Elezen gave a small giggle as she faced her again.

"Do you have your registration and permit papers?" she asked. Yuri nodded, handing everything she needed over. She quickly scanned through her records and was impressed with her wide-spread caliber of skills. "An impressive record, to say the least. The K'nerias party had just arrived but a moment ago. You will have to reassign their names-" she began but paused when Yuri held her hand up.

"That's fine. I let them choose their own names. If it is possible, could you tell them to head over to Mist, ward four please? I will meet up with them in a little while after everything is done here and I will pick up some ingredients to cook a feast for them all." she politely asked, earning a more pronounced smile from the Elezen before her.

"Of course, madam. It is nice to see such a kind person looking out for the welfare of their retainers. I shall pass the same message on to them and I wish you a pleasant stay here in Sargatanas." she bowed. Yuri smiled and bowed in return before making her way back to Magnum. She noted that he had picked up a nice bouquet of a mixture of rare flowers.

"Let's see what we got here." she commented as she ducked under his right arm and examined the bouquet in his hands. "We got Galbana lilies, Carnations, La Noscean Roses, Dravanian Mistletoe, Lily of the Valley and..." she trailed off, looking at one flower in particular, "Well I be damned! Pearl Roselles! How much did it cost?" she asked, takking the bag of cooking ingredients from Magnum's other arm.

"It cost..." he trailed off.

"How much?" she asked again with an edge to her voice.

"Fifteen thousand gil."

"That it?" Yuri asked, making him stagger slightly. "Dude! I spend more on materials for crafting! Fifteen thousand is change!" she laughed as the two of them made their way back to the aetheryte... only to find themselves barricaded from their target destination by a group of four; a male hume, a male roegadyn, a female miqo'te and... a very _familiar_ male Elezen.

"Hahaha!" he scornfully laughed, "Did you honestly think you could get away from me so easily?" he condescendingly taunted to the pair. "I was simply gonna take you back to our den and break you in to learning some... _manners_." he sickeningly smirked. Everyone around sense the upcoming confrontation and moved out of the way. The guards were about to make a move before two arrows landed in their legs, knocking them down for two fists to knock them unconscious. Yuri quickly scanned them all and got the rough idea of the set-up they had; the male hume was a archer, not a high level so nothing to worry about. The male 'Roe' was a pugilist; cliché but manageable. She, the female 'Keeper' was a conjurer so she was to be the first down, seeing her level was just over the fifty mark. She knew how potent their magic potency is with healing and knew she would prove tricky to deal with.

Then she focused her sights on the ' _snob_ '. She smirked slightly seeing he was a level sixty dragoon and knew that she would need to pull out her big guns for this one. She snapped her fingers as a light flashed around her before dying down. Setting the bag down off to one side, she stood there in her outfit; her sunglasses still resting on the top of her head but that's where similarities ended. Thanks to the wonders of her glamours, she had a pure-white Arachne Striking top on her, followed up with a pair of Ramie gathering trousers and Jet-Black Serpentskin Fringe Boots to finish her ensemble. Resting on her hips were a pair of glowing knuckle-dusters; the current progress with her weapon.

"Mag, leave the Elezen to me. While you may be a tank, he has enough strength to mitigate most of your defence even _if_ you used your cooldowns. Best leave him to me while you deal with the rest of them. It goes without saying that she needs to be downed first for her heals." she ordered out, making Magnum snap to attention as his sword and shield activated with a thrum of power.

"Anything else?" Magnum asked as he mentally marked his opponents: Miqo'te, Roegadyn, Hume.

"Careful of the Keeper. They have a higher natural affinity for healing magic and will be more potent than other level fiftys. You'll need to time your Oath-switches and your Shield Swipe and Shield Bash skills. Your Spirits Within skill will help if she's casting Medica or Medica II." Yuri explained as she stretched. Earning a sharp eye from Magnum and a questioning look, he asked;

"How do you know so much about Paladin?"

"Well, duh!" Yuri rolled her eyes, "I'm a level fifty Pally myself. I know what I'm talking about!" she huffed, reaching over and smacking the back of his head; earning a growl from said Au Ra.

"Oh? So the _whore_ can fight, can she?" he smirked as he flashed into his armour. She noted it was the Wyrm set but she noted a slight glimmer in the armour. _'Glamour. So no holding back, girl.'_ _He_ would've continued the taunts but he was hard pressed to block a sudden Shoulder Tackle that launched her from where she was standing and straight into his guard. Yuri quickly followed up into a flurry of punches and blocks before trying to take him out with a Dragon Kick. He saw this coming and used his Elusive Jump to gain distance before following straight into a Jump attack. She quickly charged two chakra stacks before switching into her Fists of Earth stance, soon as the attack connect to her.

"Ha! Is this it?" he taunted as he jumped back, shifting his grip slightly for another move. "What a waste of time and talent." he jeered. Yuri simply shrugged off the pain in her shoulder and chest and quickly stored the final three stacks she needed. He, being annoyed by no remark of comment, simply growled as he prepared himself to use another jump move on her but was soon stopped by her Arm of the Destroyer move; having impacted the ground enough for him to lose footing for a split second...

A second she capitalized on.

She quickly examined his gear and noted that he was a good item-level one-seventy-nine. By her calculations, it would leave him around the twelve-thousand health mark. Quickly shifting herself into her Fists of Wind, she hit her Couerl Stance and quickly rushed in. She saw the Feint attack coming and quickly dodged it, allowing her to land a Haymaker to his chin for his efforts. Momentarily slowed, she followed up with a Steel Peak attack. She grinned dangerously as the stun-effect kicked in.

 _Four seconds..._

She immediately unleashed her two damage-over-time moves; Touch of Death and Destroyer.

 _Three seconds..._

She grinned as she felt the familiar course of lightning travelling up and down her nervous system; her Greased Lightning taking effect. Using this to her advantage she followed up with unleashing a combo that many had fallen to before. Quick Bootshine attack to his rear, grinning at the critical hit landing and taking a good chunk of his health out. She quickly hit her Blood for Blood skill, hoping the gamble will wear off.

 _One second..._

Seeing him slowly coming around from being momentarily stunned, she rammed him with another Shoulder Tackle and stun him for another two seconds; hitting her Internal Release skill and keep him in her sights.

 _Two seconds..._

Foregoing caution, she sacrificed her stance and landed a Snap Punch to his jaw, followed by another. She grunted slightly for forcing moves out of her stance and felt something tear in her right leg and felt her arm dislocate at the socket. Regardless, she still smiled in grimace as she landed her final three attacks; something she had dubbed her "Three-Hit Finisher". She felt the chakra run through her body and gather into her still good arm and landed her Forbidden Chakra move, inwardly cheering as she saw his health go down by just under half. By now, his stun effect had worn off but he was lifted into the air from her fist embedding itself in his stomach.

She quickly yelped from the pain in her leg but pushed forward regardless to execute her second move; feeling the adrenaline rush from her three stacks of Greased Lightning fading as she landed her Tornado Kick on him, sending him back towards the ground with a harsh impact. She landed awkwardly on her bad leg and felt her ankle twist as she landed; forcing her to drop to one knee. She saw the opportunity arise when the impact was so strong that he bounced off the floor and noted his health bar now flashing dangerously low.

"No skill, eh?" she growled as she prepared her final part of the combo; a move she was able to integrate into her monk skills from her warrior class. "Bitch, please! I've got more skill in _two years_ than you'd ever have in a _lifetime_!" she smirked as she unleashed her Mercy Stroke.

Ironic, really. There was _nothing_ merciful to the attack as she felt it impact and knock him unconscious when her foot landed a clean shot to his face and knocking him out cold.

She felt a small amount of health come back to her, per the skill effect. She groaned slightly from the pain but saw that Magnum was holding his own against the other three rather well. She immediately noticed that his health was low and his Hallowed Ground effect was about to wear off. She immediately stood shakily and launched herself off her good foot and gathered her Ki into her hands and pushed it forward; unleashing her Elixir Field on the remaining three opponents. She noted a green light aiming for the two of them and as soon as it hit them both, they felt incredibly refreshed. Soon as the excess Ki dispersed, a lone figure stood just a ways behind them. Magnum began shaking in his spot while Yuri simply turned to find a Keeper of the Moon Miqo'te looking at them with a frown on her face.

"I-I can explain-" Magnum began speaking before her stern glare shut him up.

"You better have a damn good reason for this mess." she quipped harshly. "What on earth were you thinking trying to execute two Couerl-stance moves when in your damn Opo-Opo form!?" she asked. Yuri had the decently to be embarrassed at the question before pointing to the drooling dragoon on the ground.

"He wanted to kidnap me to be a sex slave for him and his group. He followed us here from Ul'Dah and he started the instigation by attacking us." she explained, earning nods and murmurs of approval from the onlookers. The new Miqo'te sighed as she waved her wand and covered her in a bright white light; Yuri finding her pain and her injuries being fixed up immediately. She quickly grabbed her arm and twisted it back into place, grunting as she did. "Also, people should know; _'_ _You don't mess with a Monk.'_ " she shrugged dismissively, earning a facepalm from Magnum and a shake of the head form the new Miqo'te.

"I'll let it slide this time." she replied before her frown was replaced with a smile. "Anyway. Incident aside... it's good to have you here, Yuri!"

"Hai." Yuri replied as she lowered her glasses over her eyes, giving her a warm smile in return. "Good to finally be here... Sync."


	13. It's Raining Somewhere Else

**_I have returned. *brushes arms off* Anyway, that was Kitsune (Yurina, for those of you in the FC). Wonderful fox. Good writer, too. Definitely remember to give his stuff a peek._**

 ** _This one is pretty old. Backstory: Magnum and I ran a dungeon and he accidentally said a thing that I didn't take great because he didn't really know that his opinion means things to me. (He knows it now.) Also because it kind of shares a little bit about myself (not just Sync). So... enjoy. It's been a few nights since I've cried. Wow. That wasn't fun to do. (Also, this has been sorted, so there are no harsh feelings between anyone. :D We fixed it. That night, actually.)_**

* * *

"Sync."

She's silent.

She's so _horribly_ silent, and part of him wishes she was quiet because she was waiting to be revived or something. At least, then, it wouldn't hurt for her to be so quiet. He'd be… well, not happier, but more content with _that_ silence than he is with this one. That silence would be normal of her and understandable – not to say this silence isn't understandable.

He just hadn't thought before opening his mouth, and his vocalization of what was a normal thought for him is what led to her mute state.

"Kitty," he tries, hoping the nickname will encourage something from her. _Anything_.

She's silent still, though. Knees pulled up to her chest. White Mage hood pulled tightly down over her face, covering what isn't already buried into her knees. He can see her ears pressed against her skull so hard that they're trembling. Her tail is tucked close to her body, nearly static where it lays. She's tried to hide herself in the most obvious of places, and it's worked for the most part. Even Wist and Angel have left her to herself on the roof – but Magnum isn't them. While he respects her privacy, he doesn't want to leave her alone.

"I'm sorry," he murmurs to her, lowering his hand when he realizes that reaching out to her likely won't give him any response and petting her might just make things worse. "You did great. I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, I just—I thought you'd be focused on others…"

She hums at him, but doesn't say anything or move to uncurl herself from the ball she seems so determined to stay in. Magnum lightly hits his fist against the roof. He'd punch it harder, with his full effort, but he's worried it might spook her.

They'd run a dungeon through for her because Sync was afraid to run it alone. It was her first with so many strangers – with only himself, Yuki, and another person as friendly, confident faces for her. Yuki had agreed to go in as another healer to show her how it was done and act as a support to her in case she had any difficulties dealing with everyone. Magnum had trusted that they'd both be okay and tried to make it easy since he'd apparently been chosen as the Main Tank of the dungeon silently, and when they'd come out of the dungeon, he'd not thought for a second about the words that slipped past his lips.

" _Yuki did an amazing job healing me!"_

He hadn't thought. He hadn't recalled Sync telling him quietly right before they started moving that she was going to be paying the most attention to him. He'd been so used to running through dungeons with Yuki as his healer – trusting her to do it – and thought that Sync would try to focus on the others as opposed to the two tanks, or she would focus on the other tank because trying to focus on him would be too stressful and too costly of her magic.

As soon as he'd said the words, though, he heard a furious, hurt snarl escape the little Miqo'te before she mocked his words and stormed off. When he'd tried to call out to her, she'd been silent. When Yuki asked if she wanted to do the next dungeon as well or practice with another class, Sync had told her that she was going to pass and just do her hunting logs instead. When Magnum had offered to help, Sync had just told him that she didn't want anyone's help – and then she'd fallen silent again.

And silent she's remained, now sitting on the roof of the FC house, curled up in a ball so tightly that he can see her shaking with the effort it takes not to loosen her arms from around herself.

"I'm sorry," he says again. "I'm _so_ —"

"Sorry," she says quietly, voice catching him by surprise. She sounds so weak and timid, so afraid of her own words. The word is odd, though – somewhat cold. Broken. So horribly familiar on her tone, that he knows she must have heard it thousands of times.

"Sync," he says, his own voice hushed.

"He said that, you know."

"Who?"

"An old friend," she answers. "Every time he would leave and come back – days, weeks later. 'I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to leave you.' And now…"

She's silent. If it's possible, he thinks she drags her knees closer to herself. She'll hurt herself if she continues, he knows. He sighs and sits, setting his back against hers, listening as she starts talking again.

"Now he's gone," she continues in the same quiet, hurt voice. "He told me 'I'll never leave you' and yet, where is he?"

He's silent, letting her talk, and she seems to understand that because she takes a deep, shaky breath so close to breaking that it kills him inside as she continues, "I left home a few weeks before I met you. Something… awful had happened when you started sending me letters, and I just had to get away. That's why I asked about you and whether or not I could come to visit you. When you agreed to meet me in Gridania, I just… saw the opportunity and left. Home wasn't very welcoming aside from my family, and even being around them felt odd after what happened. So, I just…"

"Ran away," he finishes quietly.

She nods, leaning against his back. "I didn't expect to be taken in so quickly. The little Miqo'te, dreaming so big of being a White Mage like her mother and sister, struggling to even get through being a Conjurer… Back home, we didn't have anything to show off our skills. We were fishers and hunters; crafters and gatherers; fighters, but barely healers. My sister had come to Gridania with my parents, and I stayed home – years ago, when it was a passing fancy of mine to become an Alchemist. I know I'm not my mother or my sister. I'm not brave like they are. I… I can't even handle being alone because the silence horrifies me. Being left to my thoughts is dangerous for me…"

"Then why did you keep to yourself?" Magnum inquires, looking up at the sky. "Why didn't you just—?"

She sighs. "Because it was petty of me, to be so wound about a comment. So… So hurt by the thought that my work was worthless to you, and—" She falls silent suddenly. He can tell her voice has failed her. Her throat has tightened and she makes a tiny, hurt noise akin to a choke before forcing her voice again, "—and I felt inadequate next to Yuki. She's a wonderful healer, just like my mother and my sister. My healing just seems subpar."

"You'll improve," he promises. "You'll learn. You know Yuki will teach you everything she knows."

"I know," she agrees. "But it feels like being taught and being someone's student is all I'm good at."

"I won't leave. We won't leave. Yuri, Shadow, Yuki, and I – we're not leaving you," he promises. "I've been on the abandoned side, too. Doesn't feel so great. I'm not doing that to someone I care about."

Sync is silent for a long moment before she quietly laughs, leaning back against him a bit more. He can hear her loosen her grip on her knees as a few more quiet, broken laughs escape her. He glances over his shoulder, noticing her head is tilted upward and tears are sliding down her cheeks.

"Magnum."

"Yeah?"

"I think it's raining somewhere else."


	14. Reminiscent

_**(This is the last Bhuna/Yurina/Kitsune wrote thus far. I... didn't want to upload it, but I was asked to. If this chapter disappears, it's because I was asked to make it so - and under no circumstance will I deny that request because this chapter covers very personal details to Bhuna... silly fox. Enjoy.)**_

* * *

A pair of heterochromian eyes watched the ocean from atop the roof of her new residece; taking in the fact she was no longer in Lamia. This was a new start for her with friends she had missed for years, and the chance to meet new friends and make new bonds like she did back home. She softly smiled at the warm send-off she had been given and the last words she exchanged with her closest and dearest.

The night air had turned colder so she had resorted to dressing more fitting for the slight chill; a plain-black woolen polo-neck sweater that her sister had made for her this Christmas just gone, followed up with a pair of stonewashed jeans that flared out over her leather boots. She had managed to sneak her ensemble from her sole male retainer, Ronin, and headed into the FC baths to quickly change before utilizing her natural flexibility to head up to the roof of the FC house.

She didn't know why she felt so at peace at night; finding the irony as she was a Seeker of the Sun. Either way, the night had always stilled a sense of calm and reflection in her when she was so full of energy during the day. She ran her fingers through her hair, idly noting that it was the first time in a while she had let it down in public; just about reaching the base of her shoulder blades. It wasn't quite night-time but it was more in the twilight stage; the faint purple giving way to the navy of the night as stars slowly appeared one by one. She noted a ship in the distant horizon as it sailed towards its destination and simply allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

She always found it difficult with crowds, sometimes; it would be a sudden impulse on her to isolate herself from everyone when her thoughts got too much for her or if she felt uncomfortable around so many people. The fading golden sky and rising purple twilight doing wonders for her nerves as she lets herself be carried on the Friday-night zephyrs.

"Such a nice view, isn't it?"

Yuri turned her gaze away from the distance to the source of the noise, finding Sync dusting her jeans down and adjusting her jacket before taking a seat next to her on the rooftop. For a while, the two of them said nothing to one another and simply settled for admiring the view before them.

"What happened during the Pharos incident, all together?" Yuri asked, breaking the comfortable silence. "All I heard was that he forgot his plugs and was controlled by the Siren's song and went berserk on you. After that, you gave him your ear plugs and you grabbed his sword and stabbed yourself unconscious with it." she explained, earning silence from her companion. "Magnum went into a frenzy a few days after all that and I know how hard-headed he can get when his nakama are in danger."

"... Yeah." Sync meekly replied, shrinking back into her jacket as she waited for her reprimand. Waiting as moments passed, she shyly came back out and looked towards the redhead with a curious gaze as she simply smiled. "You... you're not mad at me?" she asked.

"Why would I be?" Yuri asked in response. "It takes a lot of courage to sacrifice yourself for the team to that they can clear the mission, even if it means taking one for the team." she wistfully smiled. "I've done it no end of times but not once had anyone gone mad at me for it. They simply accept it as I was a DPS; I was 'expendable'." she continued her explanation, running her fingers through her hair once more. "In a way, I really envy you."

"Huh?" Sync asked, shocked at her long-time friend's words. "W-Why are you jealous of me!?" she asked with a squeak at the end of the sentence.

"Because you have someone you can come home to and have them dote all over you, making sure you were okay. That you have someone who loves you unconditionally and would give his own life for yours if it came to the choice of who lived and who didn't." she continued as her eyes turned melancholic.

"My mother... my real mother was a nymphomaniac. She had been given an ultimatum to choose between me, her first born, and the pleasures of sex from the guy she 'loved'..." she trailed off, knowing she was delving into her own dark past. "... she ditched me when I was a mere hour old." she quietly finished.

"Yurina..." Sync trailed off, concerned for this side of her peppy friend.

"My grandmother took me in and raised me as one of her own." Yurina continued, smiling with tears slowly falling as she recalled her fond memories with her. "She taught me how to take care of myself. She taught me how to cook. Heh, she even taught me how to fight when she took me out into the Sagolii Desert and had me fighting against the Drakes by the age of eleven years old." she laughed lightly before she fell silent once more.

"It was a dark day when I received the news that she had passed away three years ago. The Twenty-first day of the Third Umbral Moon was when she breathed her last and whispered her final words to me... telling me how proud of me she was and what a fine woman I had become." she paused, reigning her emotions from spilling out and breaking down. She idly noted Sync moving closer to her and did nothing to stop her, wanting her company right now.

"It was so much harder for me as no-one, not even her own children, knew how she wanted to be buried... all except for me. My two younger brothers broke down during her burial but I never cried. Not even once. I needed to be the pillar for them two to lean on and be the one they could turn to and break down on when they needed to vent their sorrows."

"For the two years after that, I neglected myself and let my skills rust over. I lost my source of inspiration. My motivation. My reasons to keep going." she professed as she sighed loudly. "I remember many a night after wasting my gil on alcohol and luring men to my bed for a night of passion to take my mind off it all... ending up with a bottle of Poppy Milk in my hands and the dark thoughts daring me to drink it all and never wake up to see another sunrise. Yet... that would have been a coward's way to escape the pain. My mother did _not_ raise me to be a coward. She raised me to be a strong Miqo'te who could take the shit that the world would throw at her and persevere by breaking down every barrier that stood in my way; one punch at a time." she smiled much more fiercely, stunning Sync by the raw passion in her words.

"It was then I changed. I stopped moping about and threw myself back into training and studied every art out there and devoted myself to it. One by one, I raised my skills in each class and reached the full potential in every one of them before the announcement came that we could travel to Ishgard to try out the new classes there." she grinned, turning to face the awestruck Keeper beside her. Toning her grin down to a heartfelt smile, she placed a hand on the young Miqo'te's shoulder and stared at her directly into the eyes.

"You have so much potential within you and yet you hold back so much. I will not ask your reasons why; I want you to come to me to talk about them and not before. Don't feel obligated to tell me, I want you to tell me when you're ready." Yuri explained to her, noting the hopeful look in Sync's eyes as she processed Yuri's words.

"Why... why do you believe in me so much?" Sync asked, confused.

"Because I see myself within you. The 'me' that is itching to burst out and show everyone that you are much stronger than you appear." Yuri smiled warmly once more. "I'm here to stay for a long, _long_ time. If you need any help; whether it be in your fighting, healing, crafting, gathering or just when you need a set of ears to listen to you and someone to give you advice, dear. I will _always_ be here for you when you need me and I will be there as soon as I can." she turned to her with a look that almost bordered 'motherly' and Sync was stunned into speechlessness from the compassion her friend held in her eyes.

"I don't want you to walk the same road I have. I've seen the dark reality this world has to offer and I've seen the few rainbows that leaves you speechless and admiring the fact that you're alive to see it. I've made the mistakes so those who haven't don't have a reason to." she fiercely explained. She paused for a moment as she slowly stretched out, pushing her chest forwards and catching Sync's attention by their size. "I've been through so much and this persona of me is the only thing keeping me from breaking down and reverting back to an isolationist. I go quiet on times, agreed. Very rarely do I lose my cool and people get badly hurt then I do."

"B-But you seem so calm and such a kind soul!" Sync protested defiantly. Yuri laughed at her naivety but remembered that she was still innocent, in her eyes.

"I'm a dragon at heart, dear. I may be a force to be reckoned with when provoked but I am one of the best allies you can ask for if you treat me like a friend, or as family." she nodded to herself. "Rest assured, you will never see my anger directed at you. I see you as my nakama and I will do whatever it takes to see you safe. I promise you that on my life." Yuri finished strongly, stunning her once more into speechlessness as the two settled for watching the night sky.

"Have you ever been in love, Yuri?"

Said Miqo'te turned her gaze towards her companion as she pondered whether or not to answer the question. Turning her eyes away from her, she sighed slightly and closed her eyes. "I've never really known what it feels like to be in love. I've had my trust betrayed so many times that I've become emotionally detached from a lot of things and from a lot of people." she quietly confessed, earning Sync's full attention.

"I could say I've had many crushes on men and women, alike. I suppose the proper term for me, and one not used often, is that I am a Romeo at heart. Not the romantic, fluffy term; that I can fall for people at a drop of a hat." she chuckled lightly. "Yet... I've still found someone to capture my heart and make it their own." she softly trailed off as she pulled out her lyre-turn-bow and began to play a soft tune on it.

" _I've had many times, I can tell you;_

 _Times when innocence, I'd trade for company._

 _And children... saw me crying;_

 _I thought I had my share of that._

 _But these Miss you nights, are the longest."_

Sync was awed with how _angelic_ her voice was when she sang, and even more shocked that she was singing a song which _she_ knew so well. Coughing slightly, she surprised Yuri by taking up the second verse in her stead.

" _Midnight diamonds stud my heaven;_ _  
_ _Southward burning like the jewels that eye your place._ _  
_ _And the warm winds that embrace me,_ _  
_ _Just as surely kissed your face;_ _  
_ _Yeah these miss you nights... they're the longest."_

Yuri softly smiled as she continued to play the song that the two of them would look back on and fondly remember this moment for many years to come.

" _(How I missed you...) How I missed you, I'm not likely to tell;_ _  
_ _I'm a girl, and cold daylight buys the pride I'd rather sell._ _  
(All my secrets...)_ _All my secrets are a wasted affair;_ _  
_ _You know them well."_ _  
_

Turning to one another, they gave off a stunning smile as the silent message was conveyed between them as they continued to sing; not once noticing the silent eavesdropper that was listening to the two of them sing, wondering when Sync learned to sing so _beautifully_ before...

 _"_ _Thinking of my going;_ _  
_ _How to cut the thread and leave it all behind._ _  
_ _Looking windward for my compass,_ _  
_ _I'll take each day as it arrives._ _  
_ _But these miss you nights... are the longest."_

They would have continued but a deeper voice joined in on the singing and both women were shocked to recognize the voice that was singing; Sync smiling brightly as she had longed to hear the two of them sing once more.

 _"(Lay down!)Lay down all thoughts of your surrender,_ _  
_ _It's only me who's killing time._ _  
(Play down!)_ _Play down all dreams and themes once remembered;_ _  
_ _It's just the same... this miss you game..."_

As they both trailed off for the small break before the end of the song, they both quickly turned to find Magnum walking towards them with a _flute!?_ Keeping the question of how he knew how to play a flute for another time, Yuri gave him a nod of the head as the three of them and continued to lose themselves in the flow of the song.

" _Yet these miss you nights... are the longest."_

As the song faded into the moving winds, the three of them felt so at ease as they sat together. Yuri turned slightly to find Sync resting in the arms of Magnum; noting how comfortable the two of them looked together. She felt a slight pang of jealousy stab at her heart but quickly pushed it down as she continued to pluck at the strings to ease her troubled heart. They noted that the stars shined much more brightly than before and noted a star shining much more brightly than the rest.

"Do you think that's her, Yuri?" Sync asked, pointing to said star. "That that is your mother looking down on you, smiling at who you've become?"

"I can only hope." Yuri replied with tears in her eyes as her fingers continued to play dexterously across the strings. "Either way, I'll keep honouring her final wish and make myself a woman she can be proud of until the day I draw my last breath and Mother Hydaelyn calls me home." she smiled as the tears streamed down her face.

"I think you've already honoured her wish, Yurina. Heavens knows I would be so utterly proud of you if I was her." Sync replied, herself also becoming misty-eyed from the sheer raw emotion that the three of them were feeling.

"I had the honour of meeting your mother once, Yuri." Magnum spoke up as he wrapped his arms around Sync. "It was only a brief encounter but I can clearly see where your gentle heart comes from. She was an amazing woman and a shame she was taken from life so soon. I hold a lot of respect for her and you should be proud to be her daughter, even if not in blood." he smiled at his long-term friend and sister-in-arms. With no more needing to be said, they turned to the star up above as it shone a brilliant light directly on them both as the hours passed away.

 _'I hope you're watching, Mother of my Heart. I hope you're proud of the woman I have become. My love and thoughts be with you always and forever. Till the day we meet again...'_ Yurina thought with a bittersweet smile, letting the breeze carry her woes and her hair in its gentle breeze.

" _I am proud of you, Daughter of my Heart."_ a soft whisper spoke upon the zephyr; a voice filled with pure loved and adoration for the woman she had raised. _"What a fine woman you have become, indeed."_


	15. Guardian Angel

_**So I was GOING to have actual audio for you to listen to, but life happened. So, as soon as I get said audio, I'll link to it. Until then, imagination! The song is Guardian Angel by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.**_

* * *

Sync sighs and taps her foot. It's not… odd, per say, for Magnum to invite her somewhere. Recently, he's been very fond of her company when he's available to hang out – and she's been fond of his. She and Wist have been bonding a bit more, despite the young Au'ra being drawn to another young Au'ra in the FC, and she and Yuri – as well as she and Star – have spent a good amount of time dancing around one another in dungeons to train one another's skills. That said, time spent with Magnum does tend to be her favorite times.

"He told me to meet him here," she mumbles, turning to look at the door of the FC house in Mist. Aether nudges at her shoulder, almost as if coaxing his mistress to step toward the door and enter.

Sync sighs, defeated, and leads the chocobo by the reins over to the stable. "Stay here, sweetheart," she murmurs and gives the chocobo one last stroke along his throat before entering the house.

"Magnum, are you h—?"

She stops herself immediately, pressing a hand instinctively against her lips. Somewhere in the house, there's music not coming from the orchestration down a floor below her. The music is oddly familiar, but only vaguely so. She can hear the quiet, distant strum of a guitar, and begins to wander toward the sound with steps as quiet as she can afford.

" _When I see your smile, tears run down my face. I can't replace… And now that I'm strong I have figured out how this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul, and I know, I'll find, deep inside me, I can be the one…"_

She stops outside of the room upstairs, peeking through the tiny crack of the sliding door, to see none other than Magnum and Yuri sitting on the floor. In Yuri's hands is a guitar, which the Miqo'te is strumming along to the sound with such expertise that it shocks Sync. She's seen the Miqo'te play an instrument before, and seen Magnum's skill with them briefly, but watching this show is somehow different when the song isn't quite so melancholic.

Neither the Au'ra, nor Miqo'te in the room have turned to glance at her, but Sync watches Magnum's mouth open and ducks back behind the corner of the door. She waits a moment before carefully sitting down and pressing her back against the wall to listen, already expecting the voice she recognizes so well to be the one to begin, surprised only when Yuri's voice echoes.

" _I will never let you fall…"_

" _Let you fall…"_

" _I'll stand up with you, forever… I'll be there for you, through it all…"_

" _Through it all…"_

" _Even if saving you sends me to Heaven…"_

She smiles a bit to herself, laying her head back against the wall and closing her eyes.

"What's going on?"

She glances up, pressing a finger to her lips. Star is a pleasant surprise. The Elf is always so quiet, and only recently has she felt like they've become close. Star had been one of the first people to greet her and welcome her, and since then, she's glad they've gotten more acquainted. The Elven man tends to have a very odd, but wonderful sense of humor, and like herself, puts others before himself to a fault.

She pats the spot of the floor next to her, but Star takes to leaning against the railing as Magnum continues on in the other room, " _It's okay… It's okay… It's okay…"_

"Who is that?" Star asks in a hushed voice.

" _Seasons are changing and waves are crashing and stars are falling, all for us,_ " the Au'ra sings, " _Days grow longer and nights grow shorter… I can show you, I'll be the one._ "

Sync smiles and points toward the small opening in the door, which Star peeks into, likely to sate his own curiosity. He pulls back after a moment, heterochromatic eyes slightly widened in surprise. Once again, Sync presses a finger to her lips, humming along quietly with the melody she anticipates this time.

" _I will never let you fall…"_

" _Let you fall…"_

" _I'll stand up with you, forever… I'll be there for you, through it all…"_

" _Through it all…"_

" _Even if saving you sends me to Heaven…"_

As Wist and Fabian start up the stairs and Sync presses a finger to her lips and points toward the door preemptively, Magnum continues on, " _'Cause you're my… you're my… my, my, my… my true love, my whole heart… please don't throw that away."_

Sync blinks, face going a bit red. "Magnum," she starts, only to be playfully shushed by Wist. The female Au'ra is grinning in Sync's direction, and Fabian chuckles softly. Star is smiling, though his gaze is knowing and pointed. All eyes have fallen to Sync, and the Miqo'te squirms a bit, feeling as though the thought crossing her own mind has been shared.

"' _Cause I'm here for you,_ " Magnum adds, " _please don't walk away, and please tell me you'll stay…!_ _Use me as you will, pull my strings just for a thrill. 'Cause I know I'll be okay, though my skies are turning gray. I will never let you fall. I'll stand up with you forever. I'll be there for you, through it all…"_

Sync ducks her head down, covering her face with her hands and quietly adding along, _"Even if saving you sends me to Heaven…"_

Eventually, the room falls silent and the door opens fully. Sync glances up, face red from embarrassment, to see Magnum and Yuri looking out along the crowd that has come to hear them. Fabian grins and claps a few times before excusing himself. Yuri grins and steps around Magnum to follow, patting Sync on the shoulder and high-fiving Wist before disappearing down the stairs.

Wisteria bounces on her heels. "What the fuck," she laughs, "I didn't know Biscuits could sing!"

"Uh… yeah," Magnum agrees.

Star smiles softly. "You both sounded wonderful, Magnum," he comments.

Magnum nods. "Thanks."

He glances down at Sync. "You okay? Sorry for not meeting you outside."

"I-I'm fine," Sync answers. "Just… It sounded nice. Y-You know, I was joking about the whole 'sing me lullabies' thing! But now I might have to make you if you sound that good."

Magnum chuckles, waving to Star as the Elf quietly steers the younger Au'ra away. Sync wonders if there's a silent message for Wist to allow Magnum and Sync to speak alone that's coming from the sudden departure, but she doesn't call either of them on it. After a moment of silence, Magnum sits down next to her, gaze hesitant, yet concerned.

"You sure you're okay?" He asks.

She nods. "Yeah. Just shocked."

"What kind of songs would you want?" He wonders.

"Huh?"

"If we did sing for you."

"Um… I don't know. I appreciate all kinds of music," Sync answers, pausing for a moment before admitting, "that one was nice."

Magnum smiles a bit at her before scooting a bit closer. Sync glances over at him, noticing how he tenses immediately when he meets her gaze. He starts to move away again, but she presses closer. They're both silent for a long moment before Magnum chuckles.

"Anyway, here's Wonderwall," he jokes.

Sync smiles and giggles a bit.

And then closes the distance between their lips, content for the silence and privacy they've been given.


	16. Admittance

"So are we a thing now?"

Magnum looks over at Sync. She's glancing at him curiously, and part of his brain goes back to the feeling of her lips pressed against his just days ago. He can tell Sync is searching for his answer in his posture and expression, and that she's not sure what she's making of anything. They've stayed close over the last two days and not spoke of what happened.

"Truth be told, I wanted to be before then," he admits hesitantly when he realizes she's not about to let it go. "I just… I dunno. I've gotten familiar with hearing about how I'm like a brother to people. I didn't want to ruin our friendship or make things awkward."

Sync stares at him for a long while and sighs. "Goodness, why do I always get stuck with the oblivious ones?"

"Huh?" He blinks at her.

"I've totally been hinting to you that I like you," she points out. "And you're so oblivious that you never even noticed. I mean, come on—" She groans, exhausted, and continues, "How obvious does a girl have to make it? Do I have to spell it out next time? I. Like. You. Do I have to be blunt and tell you I'd like to have you in my bed?"

"I mean…" Magnum chuckles. "I wouldn't mind the bluntness."

Sync groans again, moving closer to him. "Fine. Magnum Steel, I wouldn't be opposed to you sharing my bed. When I can afford a room," she declares. "In fact, I would encourage it."

"Well, Sync Night, I would be delighted to share your bed when you can afford a room," he jokes back. "And share more than that…"

He leans in and nips at her throat, causing the Miqo'te to let out a delightfully adorable squeak of protest that seems to quickly die down into a quiet sound of pleasure mixed with a purr. Sync moves her head, presenting her neck to him more as he bites again, chuckling softly at the continuation of acceptance he hears from her as her throat vibrates with constant purring.

"About fucking time!"

Magnum turns, noticing Sync spin on her heel. To his embarrassment, a good lot of the FC are standing just slightly down the hill, likely waiting to get to the market board. They had probably been headed up as a group to view something or because the market board tends to be around the crafting area they like to use, and stopped upon hearing everything. Ina and BK are leading the group, with Star, Fabian, Wist, Yuki, and a few others all standing close behind.

"Dammit, you two, get a room! There are children here," Ina scolds, though the pride in the Lalafell's eyes is undeniable. Something about the way he's carrying himself reads his delight with the new revelation.

Out of his peripheral, he notices Sync's hand move to her neck where Magnum has left tiny marks. "H-How long have you all been there?" She asks.

BK chuckles. "Around the time you were telling him what for," the leader tells her.

"Good for you," Fabian adds. "Make sure he knows who wears the pants."

"Women always do," Yuki teases. "Besides, bro needs someone to give him a what-for when I'm not around. Sync can take him."

"She's a White Mage," Ina points out.

"The Angriest of White Mages," Wist counters. "Have you seen Ne-san? Ne-san is brutal."

"They're squishy," Ina reminds.

Magnum looks down at Sync, who looks up at him for a moment before pulling out her weapon. "I'll take you," she jokes. "Bring it on, Au'ra!"

Magnum smirks. "You're already injured, Sync. I'm already winning."

"Oh, really?" She challenges.

"Really," he agrees.

She nods, and then lowers her weapon and yanks on his tail. Magnum screams, hisses, and rushes after her when she darts away, listening to her laugh.

From behind him, he hears Wist cheer. "I was right! My ship became real!"


	17. For Kitty

**Hey there, guys. Looks like Kitty's out cold. Magnum here to give you a special chapter I made for her. I'm being mean and making her wait to read this, too, until she's released it. I'll admit this won't be a very long one but I wanted this to be done as a present for her. So, yeah. Let's get on with it.**

* * *

Things had been rather calm around the FC lately. Yuri, Wild and Star were teaming up a lot to run dungeons with Wist to help her level up her Marauder, Yuki had taken time to herself to hang out more with her groom to be and everyone else just kind of took to doing their own things. But there was one thing coming up very soon that everyone was looking forward to very much. The day of Magnum and Sync's Bonding Ceremony. It took Magnum a lot of planning to get the proposal down right but he did it. Dragging Sync out to a boat in Costa Del Sol just as the sun was setting and the night sky became littered with stars. Little did she realise, Wist had snuck aboard to witness what was about to come.

Of course Magnum knew she was there. It was all in his planning. He had gotten her to make him the rings so it was only fair that he let her see the moment he proposed. And what a surprise it was when it came. Wist had arrived and she and Sync began talking like giddy schoolgirls. It was amusing to Magnum. He was thankful that Wist managed to distract Sync while he readied himself for what he was about to do. He placed his hand on Wist's shoulder, signifying her to step back and give him the room. She giggled and nodded. Sync looked worried.

He looked her dead in the eyes and smiled. Again, she was worried, that smile was not something he ever had. He slowly reached back into his pockets and got down on his knee. The worried expression on Sync's face quickly turned to shock when she was presented with a beautifully crafted Flawless Ring.

"Sync Night, will you marry me?" Magnum asked. Sync blinked as she tried to catch her breath.

"W… What?" she asked. She was floored. She had absolutely no idea what to say. Wist started to look worried now. It didn't look good from her perspective. Magnum started to feel the same.

"You heard me. Or do I need to do that again?" Magnum chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood a little. Sync smiled when the question had sunk in. she took his hands and pulled him.

"Stupid butt. Isn't the answer obvious? Of course I will." She replied as she held him in a tight embrace. Wist couldn't help herself. [Fangirl mode: Activated] as she would say. The rest of their time on that boat was spent in a mood of pure happiness.

Much to Magnum's surprise, it wasn't long before Yuki arrived on the boat to congratulate them along with her groom to be, Tamotsu. That was the moment that Magnum felt the night was perfect. That he could share this moment with his dear sister. Then it dawned on him. Wedding planning. This was going to be a grind.

It wasn't a lot of planning and the two got it all done within a day. They agreed wholeheartedly on everything together and made sure to book the day as soon as it became available. Invitations were sent out and everyone was discussing what to wear and the likes. Soon came the day before the Ceremony. Sooner than Magnum was mentally prepared for. It was difficult for him to wrap his head around the whole thing. Not one second had he ever thought that he'd be the one going through all this stuff when he first arrived in Sargatanas. He always suspected he'd just keep to himself the whole time and not worry about marriage and the likes. But now he was and he couldn't be happier.

A whole day spent partying with the guys and being apart from Sync was a little bit of torture for him but it was worth it come the end of the day. The two managed to slip away and find themselves onto the roof of the FC home. Once there, they sat together and watched the sunset together.

"So… Nervous for tomorrow?" Sync asked, attempting to break the silence they had.

"Nervous like Sproutling in the Coerthas Highlands." He chuckled at her. She giggled and snuggled herself closer into him. "It's just so weird to imagine. I never thought for a second that it'd be happening to me. And look at me here. The day before my own wedding with the girl that I… love." He finished. She blushed as jumped at his statement.

"What?" she asked as she turned around to face him properly.

"I love you, Sync. Now and Forever." He relied as he pulled her closer to himself and seals their lips together, tightening his grip on her ever so slightly. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. The sight was adorable. Her eyes were still shut and he lips were still stretched out. There was a slight frown as though she was disappointed their kiss had ended. Magnum chuckled slightly at her.

When she finally opened her eyes again and locked on to his own it filled her up with overwhelming happiness when the thought of their Bonding Ceremony tomorrow. She pulled away from him, pressed her head into his chest and tightened her grip around him.

"I love you, Magnum." She said very gently and contently.

"I love you, Kitty."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So… I hate writing romance. I am quite bad to be honest but this chapter is one I've wanted to do for a while. I find it funny that Kitty was worried that this would be the way I'd ask her for the in game wedding. I can be cheesy, but even I frown on that much cheese. Well, looks like she's waking up now. I'll leave you guys and let you get back to her things. See ya guys.**

 **I Love you, Kitty :P**


	18. Antitower

_**Star, why. That's… That's all I have to say. STAR. WHY.**_

* * *

"Go on, Sync! Give her a hug!"

To say the Miqo'te isn't shaking where she stands would be a major lie.

Sync has never quite been comfortable with dolls, especially not ones so creepily uncanny valley-esque. The dolls, which must be made of some durable porcelain or something, are dressed in red and blue dresses, with blonde hair and green, unamusing eyes. Their joints are fluid, yet she can see the marks that indicate their oddly large bodies have been pieced together by some horrible maker who crafted this entire world with the intention of beauty, of which has gone so horribly wrong.

She turns to the Elzen with a frantic look, shaking her head. "N-No!"

Ciand Star chuckles at her, offering a half-heartedly teasing smile, before he looks over at where Magnum is standing not too far from his fiancé. The Au'ra seems far less upset, and Sync can sense only a mild discomfort from him. As per usual, Magnum is more excited by the challenge and fueled by the atmosphere than he is allowing himself to show any form of anxiety toward the situation at hand. His excitement makes Sync shift on her feet, subconscious over her own fear of what's to face them.

"Relax, Sync," Fabian soothes. His voice does hold some humor to it, but it's soft. Star's had been soft as well – just teasing, but in a way meant to be harmless and kind. "We'll keep you safe."

"Being in danger doesn't scare me," Sync protests weakly as her gaze falls nervously back to the many Calca and Brina dolls standing in the wide room. "If it did, I wouldn't have come this far."

Star smiles over at her. "That is right. You have made it this far. Don't let this stop you."

Sync looks between the Elzen and the Roegadyn reluctantly before offering a tiny smile in return. As soon as she does, she immediately regrets it. Magnum rushes forward, yelling for the dolls to embrace him (though, thankfully, brandishing sword and shield at them). With a proud, confident laugh, Fabian rushes after him, and Star follows, far calmer than the Au'ra and Roegadyn. Sync flinches and follows behind the three members of her Free Company, all the while cursing the Twelve for their horrible sense of humor.

"I don't even want to touch these things," Sync laments.

"You don't have to. Just stone them to death," Star offers.

Sync scowls, though she casts a quick Aero spell in the direction of the one nearest her fiancé. "I don't even want to do that. That would require my magic touching them…"

The Calca and Brina dolls go down easily enough. Their attacks are narrow and timely enough to avoid with relative ease, and their porcelain frames are too weak to stand up against even the tiniest damage. As the last one collapses to the ground, Sync gazes around. She doubts, even before she notices the way Star and Fabian continue to stand on alert, that the fight is over. It's been too easy to take the dolls down thus far. Something is _wrong_.

When strings fall from the ceiling, lifting the six dolls back up onto the feet, Sync's heart plummets. She steps back a pace and lifts the cane in front of herself, prepared for the worst. Magnum, however, seems only more excited by the sudden and strange twist, and Star and Fabian look like they've seen it before. Often, Sync wonders how many things that are new to her have the others faced, and what strange vortex of time allows for them to repeat these 'games' in order to revisit them with her and by themselves. Perhaps it's just another of Hydaleyn's blessings.

The dolls form into one massive doll, whose jointed-form looks down at them for a moment before the air fills with static. Sync notices Star suddenly look away from the doll as red light spews from its eyes in his direction. Magnum immediately starts in on attacking while Sync waits with bated breath, awaiting instruction. When Star spins back around, he follows Magnum's lead and starts to throw punches at the doll's legs. From his position a bit further back, Fabian begins to cast and explain.

"Felt that static? If you see Calcabrina looking at you and you feel that, look away," the Black Mage explains. "If you don't, it will make you confused and you might swing at one of us while you're out of it."

Sync nods, instinctively casting healing over Star and Magnum as the Calcabrina doll suddenly smashes her head into the floor. Star has nearly dodged it, but Magnum, unfamiliar with the mechanics of the fight, has taken the blow full-on and had staggered more than she's comfortable with him doing.

"That hurts," Fabian explains. "Avoid that, Mag."

Magnum has enough time to throw Fabian one of the dirtiest looks Sync has ever seen on her fiancé's face, but the glint in his eyes is more from lack of humor than it is from insult. Fabian sends him back an equally 'dirty' grin before returning to his casting and allowing Sync to focus on doing the same.

The large doll suddenly bends over and three purple shields form around her sides and back. Magnum reels back a moment. Sync notices his gaze flit over to Star, and then notices how Magnum rushes around Calcabrina when Star moves to where the doll has positioned her front.

"Attack from the front, otherwise it's worthless," Fabian calls over a blast of fire he conjures up from the astral flames circling him.

Out of impulse, Sync rushes around the doll, positioning herself behind Star and Magnum and next to Fabian's side. Fabian smiles confidently over at her. Sync feels pride swell in her. No one has been knocked out yet. She's doing good. It's another success thus far, and—

Suddenly, a dark mist encloses itself around Star and Fabian, and where they once stood now stand two dolls – one Calca and one Brina. Sync's heart stops for a beat or two before she sees Magnum spin on his heel to smack the one closest to him. The Miqo'te stands stock still, staring at the two dolls, before scrambling to remember to heal as the Calcabrina doll throws a painful tantrum powerful enough to send shockwaves through the room.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Magnum demands as he continues to swipe at the dancing Calca doll that had once been Star.

"I-I don't know," Sync answers, "b-but get them out of there!"

"Trying," the Au'ra promises.

Sync casts off another heal as the Calca doll suddenly shatters. Star doesn't miss a beat, already running toward the Brina doll when his feet hit the floor. Magnum falls into pace with him, avoiding attacks and swinging until the doll is destroyed and Fabian is free. Sync tosses a quick Cure in his direction before the fight seems to repeat the same pattern, beginning with the static-causing gaze – directed, this time, at herself. She whirls around on her heel, feeling something icy crawl up her spine before it vanishes all together.

This time, when the Calcabrina doll bends at her waist, Sync feels a bit more confident. She quickly offers a regenerative spell to Fabian and Star, anticipating the change that will occur – and then tips her head when Star chuckles quietly. She straightens and opens her mouth, about to ask Star what he's possibly laughing at in a place so eerie and frighten.

And then feels her limbs suddenly lock up.

The paralysis is horrifying, and it feels like a long moment of just staring up at the Calcabrina doll before she absently feels her weapon vanish from her hands and something like ice-water flood through her body. Her vision swims black, and all at once, her body is screaming in pain. It feels as though her limbs have been sawed off and forcibly put back onto her body with metal joints to keep them in place. More than anything, she wants to scream, but her mouth is frozen shut even as her legs drag her around against her will.

"Sync first," she hears Star announce.

Every hit against the doll leaves her wanting to scream louder and louder. It feels like metal bars are being shoved into her body, and when the doll finally shatters, Sync drops to her knees. Star and Fabian don't wait, though, and instead move over to the other doll, freeing Magnum before Sync can even bring herself to cast a healing spell to share it and a regenerative affect across all of them. She forces herself to her feet and continues the fight, wanting to scream preemptively when she sees the doll bend – and wishing she had when she feels her limbs lock up again.

When the fight finally ends, Fabian claps her on the shoulder. "You did good," he praises.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Star teases.

Sync just looks between them and lets out a long, distressed whine that makes even Magnum laugh at her.


	19. Minimum

_**Based on a weird dream I had that I told Magnum about. (Note: No, to my knowledge Black Mage cannot learn any form of Mini spell – but it was a dream. Suspension of disbelief.)**_

* * *

Sync waves her staff around as she kicks her legs over the side of the roof, switching from her White Mage attire to her Black Mage on with relative ease and the use of simply exchanging the soul crystals. It still feels odd to handle her Black Mage weapon as opposed to the conduit of healing she's excessively familiar with, but it's a nice difference. The feeling of both ice and fire radiating off of the staff in a different way than it does with the Inferno Cane Yurina had made for her is a refreshing change after months of perfecting her White Mage skills.

She gestures at the air in front of her, noticing something new is nestled tightly in-between the spells she's recently learned to use. It's an odd one that looks out of place, and she reaches out, brushing her fingers along the mirage in the air over the strange new sphere of energy.

 _Minimum_ pops up in front of her. She pressed against the orb a bit harder and sees a description beginning to spell itself out from the runes that beginning expelling from the pressured sphere. _Minimum – reduces the target's size by half; grants Haste in exchange for lower attack and defense. Able to be cast upon any target – enemy or ally – though some stronger enemies may be resistant or immune._

Her eyes light up and she glances down over the side of the roof. Ciand Star is standing in front of the door, dressed in his Warrior gear, looking through the Duty Finder. It's like Star is looking for a roulette to run, or debating attempting one of the Primals he has yet to clear, or even deciding if he should run a dungeon in effort to raise his skills in another job. With a grin, Sync releases the new orb and waves it out of existence.

"Star," she calls, earning the Elzen's gaze.

"Good morning, Sync," Star replies. "How did you sleep?" Before she can answer, he raises a brow. "You _did_ sleep, didn't you?"

Sync waves her hand. "Sleep is for the weak," she answers.

"That answers my question," Star says. His voice has a small twinge of humored exhaustion to it. "What can I help you with today?"

"Pick a number."

"Why?"

"Just pick one."

"Eight."

Sync sighs. "Damn. I was thinking four. You win."

The Elzen Warrior raises a brow. "What do I win, if you don't mind me asking?"

With a discouraged slump of her shoulders, Sync gestures to the spot next to her on the roof and waits for Star to get to her side. She recasts the orbs and reaches again for the odd one, drawing it from its hiding place between Freeze and Blizzard III. She holds it out to Star, who looks at it for a moment before switching his own soul crystal to Black Mage.

"You learned Minimum," he notes aloud. Sync nods and Star then points at the orb. "Do you see those two lights? They mean the spell has a natural sub-spell. Two in this case."

"Sub-spells?" She echoes.

He nods. "You can only cast them once the base spell has been cast. It is similar to the Astrologian's cards when you choose to use Royal Road, or the different effects granted by Nocturnal or Diurnal sect."

Sync nods to herself, taking in the information. "Oh. What are the sub-spells?"

"You'll have to cast it to find out," Star answers.

After a moment of just looking at Star, it seems to dawn on the Elzen why Sync had asked him to choose a number. "You were going to cast it on me," he says.

"No," she lies.

" _Sync_."

"Okay, fine, yes, I was. But only because I thought Magnum would get a kick out of it, and I wanted to see what it does. I'm _bored_ , Star."

"Sync."

"You're _taller than me_ , and it's not fair."

Star chuckles. "It only lowers the person's height to a child's age. I believe it was around age six in Hyur years." Sync blinks at him and he quietly chuckles again before adjusting his statement, "About four feet in height."

She nods slowly and then turns her attention over to the market board where Magnum is standing. He's not doing anything. Neither of them have really wanted to run dungeons all day, and there are no interesting Primals to run. Sync has been attempting to coerce Magnum into running King Mog at the moogle's hardest, but she has been failing miserably to get the tank to join her because he has a vendetta against the fight due to the previous times it has proven difficult.

She turns her attention back to Star, noting inwardly that the Elzen has also glanced over at Magnum. "We need to do it," she says suddenly. Star glances at her and she smiles innocently. "If I go down, Star, I'm taking you down with me."

"It may be fun," Star admits. "But he's your husband. I am not casting the first spell. I will help you understand the sub-spells."

"Deal," she agrees.

Sync draws to her feet and lines herself up to be aimed at Magnum's back while the Au'ra is unsuspecting. She tosses the odd orb up, cracking it open with one hit of her staff, and then pulls the staff down to allow the spell to grow in power. Quickly, in one fluid motion, she thrusts the staff in Magnum's direction and watches as the spell spills out of it, lunging toward the male Au'ra and crashing into his back. The illusion of a clock pops to life briefly above Magnum's head, the hands moving quickly around, before the clock vanishes and a bright light encompasses him. When the light fades, Magnum is standing as tall as a child, suddenly seeming aware that something is wrong by the way he glances at his hands.

Sync sees a light pass her from the left and watches another spell crash against Magnum's back, and watches as his hair changes style. She hears Star hum quietly next to her before an identical light passes her again and hits Magnum, once more altering his hair.

"How about Dev's hair cut?" Star jokes.

Immediately, Sync reaches up to cover her mouth to hide the squeak of delight that wants to escape her lips because her husband looks absolutely adorable as a child – and if it's any indication of what their children may look like, it's a very good indication. In the moment, however, she drops her staff and watches in abject horror as something goes off. Star seems to panic as well because he bends at the hips immediately, reaching for the staff before it crashes against the roof, but his hands don't seem to move fast enough. Sync feels her feet be forced off of the rooftop as soon as she sees a massive light escape the end of the staff – and when she recovers, she finds herself sitting on the ground in the front yard with Star hanging onto the edge of the roof. The Elzen quickly lets himself drop, tossing Sync her staff.

Sync races out of the front yard of the Free Company estate, looking up the hill to the market board in time to see Magnum's stance become more frantic and afraid. He switches his Paladin soul crystal out for his Ninja one, masks himself using the Hide technique, and rushes off with the speed enhancement Ninja has on top of the Haste given by the base Minimum spell.

"Star… what did I do?" She asks, staring at the place Magnum had been standing.

"That was the other sub-spell," the other Black Mage answers as he switches his soul crystal out for his own Ninja one. "It makes the targeted user behave and have the mentality of a child. It will wear off, but we should find him before he gets into any trouble."

Sync bites her bottom lip, switching her soul crystal as well. "Right… It would have been nice to have that warning."

"I'm sorry," Star offers. "I was about to warn you."

"It's okay. Let's just find him. He's probably terrified. You go toward the shoreline and check there. I'll go around the upper part of Mist. If you find him, we have Creators," she suggests.

Star nods and runs off toward the beach at the bottom of the district. Sync hesitates a moment longer before racing in the direction Magnum had been headed.

"Magnum! Magnum, where are you? Come out! You're okay! Magnum!"

* * *

" _Magnum… Magnum! Come out, come out, wherever you are! Mag_ num!"

Magnum wakes up with a start, immediately throwing himself into a seated position and reaching for his weapon. He lowers it when he sees Sync standing in the doorway, glancing at him curiously. "What are you doing, Butt?" She giggles. "I've been calling your name for ten minutes. Do you know how long it took to get into your office? I had to ask BK to open it."

"Sync," Magnum breathes.

"You didn't come to bed last night," she mumbles. "I was worried. I know a lot's been happening recently and you've been very worked up. You've been running things constantly and—"

He sets his weapon aside and steps out of the Mhachi coffin he keeps as a bed in his office, while he normally uses the one he and Sync share in her room. "What's up, Kitty?"

"I learned a new spell for Black Mage," she boasts.

His stomach knots as he recalls his dream. "O-Oh?" He asks. "Should we go killing things so you can test it on the enemies?"

She laughs. "No, silly, it's something I can use on allies."

"How about Star?"

"Star wants to run things. I don't. I'm too bored to run anything. So I wanted to test it on you!"

"I'd… rather you didn't."

Sync frowns, lowering her staff. "Magnum…?"

"I just would rather you didn't. I mean, no offense, I trust you, Kitty, but—" He stops immediately when she lifts the staff and in one quick, fluid gesture, casts a spell on him. He instantly shuts his eyes, waiting for the worst – and then opens them, glancing confusedly at his hands.

He glances up at Sync and sees her looking at him with a look of clear concern. "What are you freaking out about…? It's a magic shield. Well… it lessens magic vulnerability… Close enough."

"I'm not going to shrink…?" He asks.

She stares at him for a moment and then laughs. "No? I don't think Black Mages can do that. Star's never mentioned that sort of thing to me. I'd like to think he would if I could do that – but even then, you can't cast harmful effects on other Warriors of Light. So, no, you're not. Where did you get that silly idea?"

"Uh…" He blinks. "Party Finder?"

She chuckles again, shaking her head like she can't believe how ridiculous he is, and then giggles to herself. "It would be funny, though…"

"That's what I'm afraid of," he mutters.

"What?" She asks.

He shakes his head. "Nothing, love."


	20. Aether

**Companion**

She's ecstatic.

Since joining Notorious Monsters, Sync has seen so many others with their chocobos. Magnum had pranced Alcatraz around her for a whole ten minutes when he'd first taken her out of the Gridanian city-state. The large bird had been so kind and fun to stroke, with feathers so strangely soft. During times of rest, Sync had slid onto his back, testing the feeling of being atop the bird. It wasn't Alcatraz's favorite thing, as he clearly favored his master, but he had put up with it well enough, getting a pet and a carrot for his troubles, as well as a bit of training out of it on behalf of his often busy master.

Today, she's getting her own chocobo. The moment the Twin Adders had placed the permit in her hand, she'd been bouncing on her feet, and she'd raced to Cingur with it. She holds it now out to the handler, eager to gain his approval. Every second he spends glancing over it makes the Conjurer's heart ache.

 _Please. I've worked so hard. Please, let me have one_ , she thinks, repeating the words over and over until, finally, Cingur glances up at her.

"Yes, everything appears to be in order," the Hyur confirms. "A moment please. I'll be right back with your chocobo."

Sync squeals in delight as soon as he leaves, bouncing on her heels. She reaches over, stroking the neck of the bird next to her. It's one of the porter birds. A beautiful and strong chocobo, dressed in undecorated barding. The bird croons in appreciation. It leans into her touch, and pulls back only once its master returns with another bird walking along behind him. The new bird is clad in Gridanian barding.

"And here he is! The fellow has been in high spirits the past few bell. He must have sensed that his master was coming!" Cingur has such a lightness to his voice. Sync can hear his smile, even without his mask being removed to show it. "Now then, to make it official, you'll want to give your noble steed a name."

She looks up, turning her attention to the bird. He lets out a delighted, curious _Kweh!_ that rings like bells. He shuffles his wings and puffs up his feathers, as if trying to make himself look bigger to impress the Conjurer standing before him. Sync wonders if he really does know. Can chocobos know when their masters will come? She makes a mental note to ask around the Free Company and see if others had been greeted in the same manner.

"How about… Aether?" She suggests.


End file.
